SHINE
by Empress Raven
Summary: Hiatus / After being away from the Titans for 3 years, Raven returns to the tower...Full summary inside. Main pairing: RaeRob. Rated for language, violence, & suggestive themes.
1. Prologue & Authors Notes

**Author's Notes::**

This is a Romance Chapter Fic. There will be lots of chapters, lots of drama, and lots of pairings. This is based upon the animated series shown on Cartoon Network. There are _borrowed_ references to the Teen Titans comic. Really, I have no interest in staying true to canon, do don't expect me to. DC changes so much with it's reboots anyway that it's too bothersome to try to keep up.

Fans of my story "Might Have Ben Hur" will be happy to know that that story takes place during the same time that this story is between Chapters 7 & 8.

**Misc: **The fic was originally named "Love Was Meant For You". The name was perfect and fitting, but I wasn't pleased with it. I just kind of threw the name together in efforts to get the story moving. I had written four chapters before even giving it a name and that bothered me as I was ready to have people start reading it. I spent a good year and half trying to come up with a new name for the fic, always coming up emptyhanded. Finally, I settled on naming it "SHINE" after Tohoshinki's 13th Japanese single. The decision came after reading the lyric translation to the song and deciding it would be a good fit.

**Disclaimer:: **

I don't own anything but the story... trust me.. If I did though... the world would be a better place.

**Pairings:: **

Raven/Robin, Raven/Kid Flash (Past-tense but mentioned), Starfire/Cyborg, Beast Boy/Terra

**Summary::**

After leaving the Teen Titans for 3 years in hopes of learning to control her powers, Raven is ready to return to the tower and re-join her friends. She has been through quite a bit; the murder of her father, a failed relationship, changing her entire outlook on life, learning to be mortal, and so much more. Now she is reflecting on the past 3 years without her friends as she returns home. She soon acquires a new romantic relationship, as other members of her team realize feelings they have had for those close by.

Spoilers up through Season Three's "Bunny Raven". Terra is in this story; just assume that she saved the town without being turned into stone. I'm not a huge Terra fan... but I wanted the challenge of going into her character with this story.

**Rated R for language, violence, & suggestive themes.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Zero: Prologue**

A pale and delicate hand, decked in black fingernail polish and wearing a simple platinum band with a 2 carat diamond on her ring finger, reaches down and turns on two knobs causing warm water to rush out of the faucet, beginning her morning shower.

Morrigana Lynne Rothers looks at herself in the large bathroom mirror. Her belly length black hair covering her naked breasts, the green eyes of her reflection looking back at her, her pouty lips placed so perfectly on her dainty face. She looked down at the reflection of her naked body. Her waist was thin, her hips were full, and her breasts had grown since she had moved into the apartment she called her own. Her body was curvy and luxurious, yet the curves were still easy enough to hide if she wanted to. Her skin was pale and soft, giving off the palest of pinks. She looked herself over once more and then sighed as she made her way towards her shower.

Today was a special day. Today was moving day. Things had fallen apart for her here in Gotham City. Much as she loved the city, it no longer had anything to offer her. She was moving back to her old home in Jump City. She had sent most of her items to await her in a phone-rented hotel room, just miles from her former home there. She had only kept what she needed to get through the next week. She was going to pack up her black Toyota Avalon and drive clear across the country to return to her former home, and former roommates.

She squirted some lavender body wash onto a black body sponge. She rubbed the sponge between her hands to lather it up and then rubbed the sponge up and down her body, covering every inch in a rich lavender scented film of bubbles. She tilted her head back into the water and she relished in the scent of the lather covering her body. After a quick rinse she pulled out the shampoo and squeezed a small amount onto her palm before massaging it into her scalp. She rinsed it out and repeated the process with her conditioner before moving on to shaving her under arms and legs. They didn't really need shaving, but she wanted them shaved just the same. She was going to be in her car for a long time and she didn't want to bother with any itching that the light stubble she had might have caused.

Morrigana heard the door open. "Ana!" Jennifer had let herself in. Jenn was Ana's best friend in Gotham. She had agreed to accompany her on the long drive back to Jump City, and would in turn; stay there for a few days to help her get things settled in. Ana, as the few friends she had in Gotham called her, finished off her shower and wrapped her body in a warm red bath towel. She quickly ran a comb through her hair and then wrapped it into a towel as well to soak up some of the water it was holding onto. She hated to have the water run down her body while she was trying so hard to get herself dried off. Afterwards she grabbed her purple bathrobe and snuggled her body into it before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Hey Jenn. You all packed and everything?" She called over to her friend who was standing at the stove making a small batch of pancakes.

"You're just getting out of the shower?! Girl! You were supposed to be like dressed and ready to go by now!" She yelled over at her. Jennifer always was just a bit too perky... especially early in the morning... She reminded Ana of a close friend back in Jump City. 'Kori...' she thought to herself with a sigh.

"Sorry... Woke up late... had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night. Kept... thinking." She sighed deeply.

Jennifer nodded. Ana had been going through a lot lately and leaving Gotham was going to be a huge step for her right now. "Well girl, go get dressed and breakfast should be ready by the time your done and then we will try and get out of town by noon."

Ana nodded and turned to go back to the bedroom to pull on some clothing. She put on a pair of boy cut black underwear, a black under wire bra, a pair of dark blue Levi jeans, and a thick black men's wife-beater shirt. She dug through her bag and found a pair of white socks and pulled those on her feet before pulling on her black boots.

She made her way back to the bathroom and quickly put a comb through her hair again before blow-drying it straight. She slipped some lip gloss on her lips and headed back to the bedroom to pack up all the gadgets she had used that morning. When she had satisfied herself with completing her task, she followed the sweet aroma of Jennifer's banana pancakes to the kitchen where she sat herself at the bar and began to eat the plate Jennifer had sat down in front of her.

Jennifer looked at Ana somewhat nervously. She wanted to ask her something, but felt very awkward about it, considering what it involved. She decided to just give in and quench her curiosity.

"Um... Ana... Did...did you... erm... say goodbye to..." She chickened out. "Mr. Wayne?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, called him yesterday and stopped by last night. He's sad to have me leave but... I think he and Alfred will be fine" She went back to eating the few remaining bites of her pancake.

"Oh... and you closed your lease right?"

"Mm-hmm, Mrs. Granger was really sweet about it... Plus I think she will be happy that there wont be anymore yelling like there was the past few weeks" Ana's face fell slightly as she thought of all the fighting that she had been involved in for the past few weeks.

"Oh... and..." Jennifer took a deep breath; she knew she was possibly opening a can of worms. "And... Wally?"

Ana's face went pale. 'Wally' she sighed deeply at the thought of her former fiancée. She had been dating Walter West for the past two and a half years, and they had been engaged for just over two years now, but two weeks ago he had learned something about her that he never expected and he freaked. He yelled at her for three days straight, talking about trust and finally, he broke up with her.

"I...tried to call him, but as expected he isn't taking my calls. I guess I'll just wait till I'm back in Jump City and then send his ring back to him through insured postal mail." She sighed. She missed Wally a lot. She hated that he was so upset with her, but she couldn't change that past, and she couldn't be honest with him when she met him. It was for his safety, as well as her own.

Jennifer nodded at Ana's response and then stood up to clear away the dishes she had used. She ran the dishes back to her own apartment and then came back. Ana was ready and had already begun loading her things into her car. Jennifer followed suit and put her suitcase in the trunk and her duffel bag in the backseat next to the cooler. They had bought it to fill with drinks for the ride. They buckled themselves into the car, and with a quick look goodbye, they were off.

Ana thought to herself as she drove her way to the freeway, while Jennifer sang off key to an old Elvis Presley song on the radio. She missed Wally already. And now she was moving back to Jump City and would probably never see him again. All because of who she was.

You see, Morrigana Rothers, was only known by that in Gotham City... It was a name that was created for her to use while there, so that her presence in Gotham could remain undetected. She didn't want the friends she had from Jump City to find her. She didn't want the Monks of the royal court to find her and force her to take the throne. She just wanted to remain invisible. Only Jennifer, Bruce Wayne, and Bruce's butler Alfred had known her true identity until she decided to make the mistake of telling Wally. Morrigana Rothers was simply a charade to hide her true self. Morrigana Rothers was a charade to hide power.

Morrigana Rothers was in reality, Raven Roth.


	2. Raven

**Chapter One: Raven**

_Never know how much I love you_

_Never know how much I care_

_When you put your arms around me_

_I get a fever that's so hard to bear..._

Raven sang along with the radio. She loved this song. She had actually performed it as part of her act in Gotham. She didn't look it, but she could seriously sing. She had a voice like an opera-singing angel. She needed a few classes though. She could stay in tune the whole time, but she wasn't always in key for certain songs. She just had one of those hard to use voices. Beautiful, yet in between keys. Many of the people who knew her wouldn't believe it though. Raven wasn't the type to sing, especially as a part-time job in a nightclub. But Morrigana Rothers was. Morrigana, or Ana as her friends called her, loved to sing, and dance, and laugh, and smile. But if you knew that Ana was Raven just as Raven was Ana, you might not believe they could be the same person.

Gotham City knew a dark girl with a punk-Goth fashion sense named Morrigana Rothers. She was a sales clerk and an hourly supervisor at a local fashion boutique. Weekend nights she spent three hours as a Nightclub singer. She sang sexy yet tasteful numbers, kept her clothing on and never allowed anyone to think of her as anything less than a lady.

_When you find yourself in danger_

_When you're threatened by a stranger_

_When it looks like you will take a lickin'_

Raven continued to sing to a new song as she watched road signs on the highway looking for a gas station. Jennifer was asleep in the passenger seat next to her. Jennifer was a friend from Gotham who had agreed to accompany her on the road trip she was on. They were going clear across the country from Gotham City, New York; to Jump City, California. Ana had met Jenn in Gotham. They lived next door to each other, worked at the same boutique, and liked the same coffee shops. Jennifer was special too. Jennifer was also an Azarathian. She had been sent to watch over Raven. So when Raven became 'Ana', she became Ana's best friend to keep a watchful eye on her. They both knew who they really were, but they kept it as their deepest secret. Not talking about it anywhere outside the confides of Wayne Manor.

'Bruce...' Raven thought as she pumped gas into her Toyota Avalon. 'That is a man...' She couldn't help it if she had a bit of a crush on Bruce Wayne. He was incredibly handsome. Charming, debonair, dashing. His eyes and smile could melt your insides, his voice was sexy. He was an incredible hunk of man. He was so different from his counterpart. Batman was cynical, heartless, downright rude, and ruthless. He was so much like Raven, while Bruce was so much like Ana. It was that alone that probably prompted Bruce to help her so much in the first place. Batman had come across Raven during her first week in Gotham. After many hours of begging and threats, Raven had convinced him not to tell the Titans where she was. She didn't want them coming after her, or constantly checking up on her. She needed to be away.

Raven had left the Titans to venture out to gain control of her powers. She had a lot to do, and she didn't want her friends from Titans Tower to interfere. So when she came to Gotham, Bruce had decided that he would help her out. He allowed her to stay with him, though she got herself an apartment within the first month. She didn't want to have anyone looking over her while she got things in control. He kept her secret. Only his friend and butler, Alfred knew. It was Bruce who had 'created' Morrigana Lynne Rothers. Raven needed an alias for while she was in Gotham. Bruce had created a name that he felt suited her without being obvious. He then used his connections to get her a fake birth certificate, driver's license, and all the other paperwork she might possibly need.

Raven moved into a small apartment on the edge of town. She paid for the first few months rent with money she had saved up while she was at the tower. Bruce bought her a black Toyota Avalon so she had a way to work and so she could easily come to visit him whenever she wanted to, or he wanted her to. She was grateful, but demanded that he allow her to pay him back for it at some point. She got a job at a fashion boutique. She began as a simple sales girl, but quickly moved up to management. She met a girl that worked there and turned out to live next door to her. Her name was Jennifer and they quickly became friends. One night Jennifer confessed that she was the daughter of a priestess on Azarath. The wise men had asked her to come to Earth to look after Raven and make sure that she remained protected. Things didn't change with this new information. They remained close friends, but grew closer now that they had something in common. They did however promise not to mention who they really were anywhere outside of Bruce's mansion. Neither wanted their identities to be revealed.

But things were good. Raven loved living in Gotham. Gotham was dark, and it had a hero. She didn't have to do any crime fighting, and she liked being able to reserve all her powers. After she had been in Gotham for two months, her father began to torment her dreams. He was slowly trying to take over her body. Her father was the demon Trigon, a heartless and selfish being who had declared himself ruler of the peaceful planet of Azarath. Raven was not his only child, but she was his heir to the throne. She was the daughter of the woman he had chosen as his wife and queen. He had a control over her. She was infused with his demon powers and they gave her strength. She had been using them to fight against the bad in the world for so long, but she wasn't meant to help. She was meant to follow in his steps. To complete his dream of ruling the universe and destroying the planets who wouldn't bow to his power. She was controlled by him, but she was also the only one who could destroy him. Her dreams got steadily worse, and so acting on the advice given to her by Bruce and Jennifer, she returned to Azarath to learn how to release her father. His physical form was long since dead, but his spirit remained inside her.

The monks of Azarath taught her how to give her father physical form again. His influence was completely drained from her body. Her powers remained intact, but his influence was given physical form and she was left in the wastelands of Azarath. There, among the rocky and deserted plains, she challenged her father to the death. The battle was long and tiring, but Raven came out victorious. Trigon was dead and his influence was removed. She returned to Earth with the thanks and praise of all the inhabitants of Azarath still fresh in her memory. She slept for 9 days, regaining her strength. Jennifer stayed over at Wayne Manor with her, making sure that she healed herself quickly. After she awoke and could move again, the real work began. Raven's powers were flying out of control. They were far worse than she had ever seen them. Without Trigon's influence, her powers had no need to be held in out of fear of unleashing his wrath upon the world. They escaped her, wanting to be used and free. She had to re-teach herself how to use them all over again. How to control them like she always had.

Her body began to change too. With Trigon's influence gone, the mortal part of her began to shine through, masking the demon. She had been dying her hair black while in Gotham as a way to remain hidden and unnoticed, but soon after the murder of her father, her roots stopped growing out. Her hair had turned itself into the midnight black color that her mother had always had. Her eyes became a slightly darker shade of purple, though she continued to wear a pair of green colored contacts. Her skin began to lose its grey color and had become a very pale shade of peach, allowing her to stop wearing the body makeup she had been required to wear to hide her ash tinted skin. In the next month, more changes happened. She grew two inches taller, her lips began to grow fuller, and her body grew curves. She always had a slightly curvy figure, but her hips had grown, her legs had gotten more shape to them. Her small breasts had grown two cup sizes. She had become curvy, sexy. She loved it. She was so happy to be able to look in the mirror, and for the first time think of herself as pretty.

Bruce began to notice things too. After she had been in Gotham for about six months, he had a small dinner party and invited her and Jennifer to attend. While at the party, Bruce introduced Ana to a very handsome young man. His name was Walter West, but he asked her to simply call him 'Wally'. He had a few freckles on his cheeks, flaming red hair, and piercing green eyes. He was tall and thin and not the type she would quickly find herself attracted to. But he was witty and charming, and it drew her to him and they became fast friends. She was surprised to learn that he lived in the same apartment building as her, only two flights below. They talked the whole night through, and before the night was over he had already convinced her to go on a date with him. They went on their date and she enjoyed herself quite a bit. He asked her on a second date, which quickly turned into a third, and a forth. Within a month's time, they were a couple, falling for each other fairly quickly.

Wally didn't know of her past. He spent his days believing she was Morrigana Rothers. She liked it that way. As much as she felt she was slightly deceiving him, she felt it was best for him not to know the truth. Their relationship moved onward. After they had been together for two months, he was spending so much time at her apartment, staying so many nights over that she asked him to just move in. He agreed but kept his apartment in case things didn't work out. They were quite the couple. Always together when they could be, seldom fighting with one another, it was a seemingly perfect relationship. But there were moments, there were times when Ana wondered about things. Wally would disappear at times with little to no explanation as to his whereabouts. She didn't think too much of it though. She figured that if he wanted her to know, he would find the time and the way to tell her. She never thought that he could cheat on her, so she knew that whatever it was, it was important enough to justify. She trusted him. She trusted very few people. She could only bring five others to mind that she did trust to a full extent.

"All better?"

"Yeah, thanks for stopping. Were you singing theme songs earlier?" Jennifer asked as she walked back towards the car. She had woken up and decided to use the restroom at the gas station while Raven got gas for the car.

"Yeah, the radio station was playing an hour of theme songs. It was fun while it lasted. You ready to go?"

"Sure Rae, but hey, let me drive. You need to take a nap for a bit, you've been driving too long."

Raven nodded and curled up into the car and pulled a pillow out of the backseat. They took off onward to the highway but she couldn't sleep.

Raven ran her fingers through her hair, getting some loose strands out of her eyes. "Ouch!" she felt her forehead. The ring she kept on her left middle finger had turned around and the stone had scratched her as she moved her hair out of her eyes. She reached down to fix the ring on her finger. It was a beautiful ring, a platinum band with a large diamond on it. She looked at the ring and tears began to form in her eyes. 'Wally...'

After she and Wally had been dating a little over eight months, he did the most unexpected thing he could've done. He proposed. She accepted, though she felt a twinge of guilt over it. They hadn't been together for very long, but she trusted him, and she loved him. As time past though, her guilt began to get the better of her. She wanted so badly to tell him of her true self, and not being able to was killing her inside. Then, about a year and a half into their engagement, she stumbled across something she shouldn't have. She hit a nail in their wardrobe and it opened a hidden space. Inside the space were four costumes, four superhero costumes. The costumes belonged to Kid Flash. Ana was shocked, but understanding when she confronted Wally about it. He was happy she knew, he hated keeping it a secret from her. She wasn't entirely surprised though, it explained a lot of things about his behavior, his mysterious disappearances.

Jennifer looked over at Raven. She had fallen asleep, but had a single tear running down her cheek. 'Poor Rae...' She knew how much Raven had been through. After she had found out that Wally was Kid Flash, she became stressed. Raven had come to her and Bruce to try to find a way to get rid of the stress. It was decided that it was time she told Wally the truth, and let him learn who she was. It was important to act quickly, as she had received a letter a month beforehand from Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans telling her they would be delighted to have her back at the tower. She couldn't move without Wally knowing the truth.

Raven went home and told Wally everything. He didn't take it well to say the least. He threw a fit, packed his things, told her it was over, and left. He had told her it was one thing to hide an identity, it was a completely different thing to lie about it. Raven began packing the very next day, deciding it was time to return to Jump City and leave Morrigana and Gotham behind.

"Hey... Hey Raven... Wake up."

Raven yawned and looked around sleepily.

"Huh? What's up? What happened?" She asked her friend.

"We just entered Jump City. We're about 10 minutes from the tower."

Raven sat up in her seat, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Let's head to the hotel then."

They got further into the city and parked at the hotel, 10 minutes from the tower, where their stuff had been delivered the day before. They had gotten the room to stay in for a few days until things were back to normal in the tower. It had been decided that Jennifer would stay there while Raven went and saw everyone at the tower.

Raven showered and got dressed. She put on a pair of black fishnet stockings, an olive green tank top, a camouflage mini skirt, and her boots. She went to the bathroom and took out the green colored contacts she wore, leaving purple eyes in their place. She pulled some of her cloaks out of her trunk and dug to the bottom until she found her black one. She put it on, said goodbye to Jennifer, and flew off towards the tower. Five minutes later she found herself staring at the doorbell, nervous about what she was about to do. She took a deep breath and pushed the button.


	3. Robin

**Chapter Two: Robin**

The sun rose up casting a warm glow upon the T shaped tower on a small island in Jump City. Already the inhabitants of the tower were moving around. A metal man and a green boy were fighting over tofu eggs as an alien girl tried desperately to calm them. A young blonde was drooling on the table as she slept through the tofu fight. There were two missing from the scene. A dark girl who had left three years prior and a young bird who liked to keep himself in shadows these days.

Robin sat on the window seat in his bedroom, looking out at the sunrise with bitter feelings. The rays of light were so happy and he felt they mocked him. He had nothing to be happy about these days, and the sun was only fueling the rage he held inside, destroying himself.

_'Stupid sun. Stupid town. Stupid life.'_

He stood up and stretched, moving his way to the shower. He stopped when he saw a small photo on his dresser. It was a photo of him and the dark girl from the tower. He remembered the day well. Somehow he had managed to talk her into playing touch-football with him and the other members of the team. In one short moment he had come to tackle her and Cyborg had snapped a photo at the perfect moment. His arms were around her from behind, and she was smiling. Granted, she smiled only because she knew that there was no way he was going to tag her with her spirit self rising up behind him. But she had smiled. He had asked Cyborg for a copy of the picture and he had framed it. It stayed on his desk, as a reminder that anything was possible. He sighed deeply and made his way to the shower.

'_Raven. Damn, I miss her. It's been three years since she left, three long horrible years. The team has needed her. We might not like to admit it, but we often depended heavily on her powers. She was so much stronger than us, and we needed that strength for our ventures. Without her, keeping freaks off the streets hasn't been easy. We defeated Brother Blood, and Slade came back and we managed to defeat him. Brother Blood was easy. Cyborg had so much rage towards him for stealing his blueprints, that he was easily defeated. Slade was a bit harder. When he returned he had new tricks up his sleeves, as well as some new toys. At one point he teamed up with Mad Mod and without Raven helping to win the fight, we only just came out of it alive. The battle would've been easier with her powers helping to protect us while they kicked ass like they always did. But instead we had to do things alone. It wasn't easy either. I nearly lost my mind to Slade once, and without Raven caring the way she did, I just might have lost it entirely. But she cared; she infiltrated my mind to help me see that everything was going to be alright. Having her inside of me gave me strength that I had lost along with my fleeting will to fight.'_

'_After the defeat of Slade, things got quiet again. They stayed quiet for a while too. Nothing more than the simple robberies that were the job of the city police to deal with. We quickly tired of things and began to bicker with each other. So, about six months after Raven had left the tower, we took a break from crime fighting and went separate ways for a while. Beast Boy went with Terra off on a journey to see the country and its neighboring visitors. Cyborg went home to see his parents for a while. Starfire went back to Tamaran to check up on things and make sure that the kingdom wasn't falling apart. As for me, I went back to Gotham and spent time with Bruce Wayne, my mentor, my father.' _

'_He isn't my real father of course, but he adopted me. He took me in and cared for me when I had no one else to turn to. He took me in after my parents were murdered. I spent the two month break from the team with Bruce mainly, also taking time to visit my good friend Walter West. It was fun enough, though Wally constantly talked about this girl he had just met, Morrigana or something like that. I should probably call him; last I heard he and her moved into together. It would be nice to know if they are still together. Ah, Thursday, Wally has classes till late. I'll call him tomorrow when he has only afternoon classes. I never met the girl, but from what I was told she was a dark and beautiful girl with spunk and energy, sarcastic, witty, and full of emotion.'_

Robin had showered and dressed and was now wandering into the now deserted kitchen. BB and Terra had packed and gone to see a morning movie and have a mid-afternoon picnic in the park afterwards, and Cyborg and Starfire had gone off to work on the T-car. It had gotten into pretty bad shape after Cinderblock sent it flying off a cliff a few days back during a battle. He grabbed a plate and helped himself to the leftover waffles and eggs. Apparently Cyborg had won the morning breakfast fight. He ate quickly and moved onward to the training room, figuring he would take some of his aggression towards himself out on the punching bag. As he fought with the bag he heard Starfire let out a light scream followed by Cyborg yelling something about Band-Aids. He shook his head and resisted the urge to check and be sure things were alright.

'_Starfire. So many people think that I belong with her. I can't possibly see how they could be right. I mean seriously, she is beautiful and everything, but just not for me. I liked her on a certain level for a while, never to the point of love, and never to the point of actually wanting to date her. I enjoyed teaching her the ways of Earth, and I was entertained by her carefree personality, but it's was never something I could've lived with. She doesn't have enough depth to her personality. As much as she tried to be, she could never have been emotionally fulfilling to me. She spent too much time pining for my attention, wanting me to spend every possible moment with her, showering her with time and compliments. She didn't want to share me with anyone. She was far too obvious and overprotective of me, and at times it made me sick. We never tried to date, not really. We had one simple date and the night was so miserable for the both of us that we decided it best not to try anything again. Starfire seemed heartbroken over things, but it didn't last long before her short attention span had moved her focus onto something else. She just wasn't the one. I need someone with depth'._

'_Cyborg and I were hanging out a few weeks ago, I was telling him about a dream I had been having. It was the weirdest thing. In the dream there was a bird's nest. And in the nest were three little eggs being sat on by a male robin. He is taking care of the eggs and keeping them warm, and then after a while, he starts singing to them and they hatch. Three little birds come out of the eggs and they all look like robins, but they have the color and beak similar to a crow or a raven. Cyborg smirked when I told him. He went on about me having a hidden thing for Raven. Like I wouldn't know if I liked her?! He's been bugging me about it. He swears that I am secretly in love with her or something. I think he's crazy. I mean, I miss Raven and everything, but I highly doubt that I am in love with her. She is my teammate, my friend, my best friend. I don't think she knows that though, I never really told her, and we weren't completely close, but I thought of her as my best friend. I can't fall for her. I tried to love a teammate once and look how that backfired. I'm better off single. A superhero isn't meant for love. It's too difficult to balance your superhero life with your home life. I mean, look at Bruce Wayne. He can't be Batman as well as a husband and father. His family would be put in danger if anyone found out who he was. Things could be disastrous! That's why it's better off that I don't find love. Besides, Raven is my friend. Nothing more... Just a… friend.'_

Robin sighed and walked off to his bedroom. He closed his door and did what he did everyday that he wasn't out fighting crime. He lay on his bed, looking at the picture of him and Raven, drifting in and out of sleep. Wishing she would come home.

The sound of the doorbell jarred him out of slumber. He stood up to go out and get the door when he heard Cyborg yell through the tower.

"Ill get it!"


	4. Cyborg & Starfire

**Chapter Three: Cyborg & Starfire**

"Who wants waffles?!"

"What? No, we aren't having waffles again! Its tofu day!"

"No one wants tofu, they want waffles and eggs!"

"No, they want tofu!"

"Nope, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage…" Cyborg's mouth watered.

"Hey! I've been most of those animals!" Beast Boy protested.

"Friends! I'm sure that this can be solved with a Tamaranian folk song, followed by the pudding of forgiveness." Starfire interjected.

It was an average morning at Titans Tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy were heavy in the debate of what to have for breakfast. Starfire hovered around them trying to solve the argument swiftly and peacefully. Terra lay on the table with drool dripping from her mouth as she slept a bit more. Only two team members were missing. One was sulking in his room, and the other had ventured away from the tower just over three years ago.

"Alright! Rock, paper, scissors!"

"You're going down green one!" Cyborg replied to the suggestion.

The two young men readied their hands and began their game. Beast Boy threw down paper and Cyborg threw down scissors.

"Scissors cuts paper! Waffles and eggs it is!" Cyborg exclaimed and turned to prepare the meal whistling as he went. Beast Boy on the other hand sulked off and pouted as he made himself some grain cereal with soy milk.

Once breakfast had been eaten and the dishes put away, Beast Boy and Terra wandered off to see a movie and have a picnic in the park afterwards. Starfire had agreed to help Cyborg in the garage with repairs to the T-Car. Robin had not been seen all morning.

The alien girl rode down the elevator with the metal man until they reached the garage. Their garage was quite large, with spare room to hold many parts and accessories. There was room to repair and build new machines as well as parking spaces for the T-Car, Robin's R-Cycle, Beast Boy's Moped, and the newly built T-Truck. They also had space for the T-Sub to rest. There were more tools and gadgets than you would see in a hundred repair stores. It was a mechanical geek's haven.

Cyborg spent a lot of time in the garage. He was a regular grease monkey you might say. With his condition, he needed to know how to work on many types of machinery. Everything mechanical and electrical, if he broke he was the only one who would be able to fix him the best. It wasn't easy being metal, but he always said that being a Cyborg was better than being deceased.

Cyborg groaned at the state of the T-Car. Cinderblock had thrown it over a cliff a few days prior and it saddened him to think of how many repairs it was going to take to fix his baby.

Starfire floated gingerly around the garage, running her fingers across various items and tools while lost in thought. She stopped when a sudden pain rushed through her finger. She looked down to see a small amount of dark orange blood rushing out of her left pointer finger.

"Ahh!" She screamed gaining the attention of the metal man behind her.

"Starfire! What happened?" He asked. She showed him her finger.

"That looks bad…" he said turning around looking for the first aide kit. "We need band aides!" he yelled slightly louder than intended.

A few moments past and soon the situation was under control. He cleaned and dressed her wound and she sat on a chair near the T-Car as she calmed down. The sight of her own blood always spooked her.

"So, what has you so distracted Kori?" Cyborg asked the alien girl who was so clearly preoccupied in her thoughts.

The alien girl looked up at him. "Nothing, I was just… thinking."

"About?"

"Raven."

Cyborg sighed. Raven seemed to be the subject of everyone's thoughts lately. It felt like it had been so long since they received the letter from her asking their feelings on her returning to the tower. They were all so ecstatic when they got it. They all took turns reading the letter, looking as each stroke of each letter, convincing themselves it was indeed her handwriting. They quickly composed a reply. Robin was the one to write it, saying that it would be best if the team leader was the one who wrote the letter. That's what leaders were supposed to do, represent the team. No one objected. They wrote the letter and sent it on rush mail to get to her within a few days. That had been nearly a month ago, and yet they had heard nothing more about the dark empath who once fought beside them. He was beginning to worry about her and her safety.

"Friend Victor, when do you think she will return?" Kori's voice brought Victor out of his thoughts. He was still getting used to everyone calling him 'Victor', before it had always just been Raven. When they would spend time together, she would always call him by his real name. Raven and he were closer than anyone in the tower. She had been more like a sister to him than anyone, and he held the protectiveness of a big brother over her. Sometime after Beast Boy and Terra started getting serious, they had chosen to drop pretense and Victor and Kori had followed suit. So now everyone in the tower called him Victor.

"I'm not certain, although I do think it will be soon, maybe sometime in the next few weeks. Knowing Rae it probably will be sooner than the next two or three months. She isn't the type to let an invitation go stale." He replied thoughtfully.

Kori seemed to accept his answer. She missed Raven so much. Raven was her closest Earth friend. Originally, Raven seemed to have trouble tolerating the Tamaranian girl. Kori knew this, but it wasn't until one of their battles that she understood why. The Puppet Master had caused them to switch bodies, and in the process they had to use one another's powers. It was a very difficult task, but to help understand how each other's powers worked, they had told one another a bit about their pasts. In the conversation Kori had learned about Raven's need to suppress her emotions, and with Kori being so much of a free spirit, it was hard for her to not want to indulge in her emotions as well. Kori missed the meditation sessions. They were always so enjoyable for her. Even though Raven and she hardly spoke during them, she always felt that they brought them closer together. Raven had taught her that sometimes, just spending time with someone in complete silence can be just as much, if not more, bonding than spending days in deep conversation. It gave them a special connection.

Raven also would humor Kori from time to time and accompany her on a shopping outing. Kori missed the time they spent together. She felt like a piece of her was missing, one of her closest friends was gone and it just ate her up inside.

Kori and Victor worked in a comfortable silence. He liked the effects Raven had had on Kori. Raven's influence had taught Kori to control her emotions more, and that silence was a good thing sometimes. He liked that Kori didn't have to be talking every moment of the day. He enjoyed Kori's company, but sometimes it was nice to just spend the quiet time with her. It reminded him of his time spent with Raven.

They used to spend hours in the garage. She had helped him repair the T-Car after its initial outing, where it was damaged, and during the repairs they had chatted ever so lightly. They had learned bits about each other, and learned to trust one another more. It had been nice for him, as he learned more about the mysterious girl that his leader had brought into their team, and he knew it was nice for her because it helped her to feel more accepted.

Things with the team had been weird since she had left. Everyone seemed empty and lost without her. Beast Boy had become more serious, seemingly worried about the team with her missing. Terra had retreated into her shell more, no longer having someone who she had things in common with to help her feel accepted. All that they had was each other, and their relationship was one of the few happiness's that the team seemed to have anymore. Kori had become quite melancholy, always seeming like something was missing. She would float around the tower, talking to herself and always acting like she was looking for something. He had begun to stress himself out over the mental stability of the team as he watched each of his friends worry themselves over something they had no control over. Robin had it the worst. He was constantly locked in his room, or in the evidence room tolling himself over paperwork.

"Victor, do you think friend Robin will be alright?" Kori's voice broke Victor out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"Well, he seems so sad since friend Raven left, and lately he has become more depressed and he spends so much more time in his room than he used to. He seems to miss Raven more than anyone. Is he in love with her?" she inquired.

"I'm not sure to be honest Kori. Would you be upset if he was?" he asked carefully. He knew of her past feelings for the Boy Wonder.

"No, honestly I think it would be grand for friend Robin and friend Raven to get together. They both are quite serious, and they both seem to think the same way. Perhaps they could make each other happy." She said thoughtfully.

"So you wouldn't be upset at all?" he inquired.

"No, friend Robin and I attempted a relationship, you remember don't you? Well, we both learned from that attempt that we were not meant to be together. I still care for him, but I think that now my feelings are only for a good friend. I would like to see him happy again though." She said.

"I think that once Raven is back he will be just fine. He is a team leader and right now his team isn't complete. It has to leave a huge hole to be missing a part of your team. When you're a team leader, your team is your life." Vic said.

"So you think he is so sad because some of his life is missing?" Kori asked puzzled.

"You might say that. Don't you worry, I have faith that everything will work itself out. The Titans will be fine again, you'll see." He smiled at her, which brought a smile to her face as well. Victor always did know how to perk up a teammate and let them see the brighter part of the darkness.

"Now go grab me that wrench and help me out with this." He smiled. She nodded and floated off to get the wrench before positioning herself above the car to help loosen a piece while he worked from underneath the car.

As he lay there loosening bolts his thoughts drifted to the Boy Wonder, he wasn't as convinced that he would be alright as he had told Kori. He was worried for their leader and for the team. Raven was taking her time in returning and it was putting strain on their already crumbing team, their desire to be together, and their unity was crumbling. Raven hadn't seemed like such an important player while she had been there, but once she left she seemed to be the primary piece keeping the team together.

Robin was taking things the hardest, but the metal man knew why. Robin wasn't ready to admit things to himself, much less anyone else, but Vic knew. He knew that Robin had been in love with Raven since the day that he had met her. The day he brought her home from the desert and announced she would be joining their team, which at the time consisted only of Robin, Beast Boy and himself, he had looked closely at the way Robin looked at the mysterious girl who hid underneath her cloak. Robin had a gleam in his eye that Victor had seen before. He had seen it in his father's eyes when he spoke of his mother. He had seen it in his grandmother's eye when she spoke of his grandfather. It was the spark of love. He had asked his grandmother about it when he was very young, and she always had told him that it was the spark of love that someone gets when they have found their soul mate. In that one fateful day, Robin had his life saved by an emotionless girl with power and hidden compassion and he had looked at her with the eyes of a boy given another chance and when his eyes had met hers, he had found his soul mate.

Victor knew that Robin didn't even realize that he loved her. He was always so wrapped up in being a good leader, proving he wasn't as reckless as everyone knew he was, and being a good crime fighter in efforts of stepping out of the shadow of Batman. He wanted to prove so badly that he was more than just a sidekick, and that he could lead a team and fight crime just as well, if not better than his mentor. Because of this, he was unaware of many things. After Kori had joined the team, he was unaware of her feelings and oblivious to her advances for many months. When Terra had first surfaced, he had wanted to be a good leader and been too trusting, ignoring Raven's intuition only to be deceived by the girl who later redeemed herself.

Victor knew that Robin wrapped himself up in his work, but he was certain that the dream he had been having would've been a dead give away. Robin had come to him a few weeks beforehand and had told him about a dream where a male robin was sitting on three little eggs. The eggs hatched, revealing three baby crow-type birds. Robin and Raven both shared names given to them by birds, so a dream with birds in it was clearly a dream portraying the two of them. Victor had long since believed that dreams were a portal to your soul, and that any dream you had was linked with your deepest fears, or darkest desires. Robin had laughed it off when Victor told him the suspicions of the dream being about him loving Raven, but Vic knew that Rob would eventually come to grips with his feelings and realize his love for her. It was just a matter of time.

A few hours passed, Victor and Kori had chatted lightly about the weather and recent battles as they made some of the repairs on the T-Car. Eventually they decided it was late enough to finish their task for the day and return upstairs to the common rooms.

They reached the common floor and wandered into the kitchen to get drinks. Victor sat on a chair glancing through the newspaper while Kori sat on the counter casually sipping her juice, still lost in thought over the absence of the dark bird.

Beast Boy and Terra came strolling into the kitchen. Victor greeted them and listened to a few moments about their day before the door bell rang.

"Ill get it!" He stood up and yelled out; making certain that the Boy Wonder would be able to hear him from the confides of his bedroom. He wandered over to the computer screen to see who their guest was.


	5. BB & Terra

**Chapter Four: Beast Boy & Terra**

The sun was shining on the inhabitants of Jump City. Birds were singing, children were playing, and things were calm and peaceful.

Things didn't get peaceful in Jump City often, or for very long. Because of this the population of the city would enjoy the peaceful days they were given while they had them. They never knew when things would be simple and normal next.

Terra and Beast Boy walked hand in hand down a path in the town park. They had left the tower right after breakfast had been eaten to see an early morning movie. The movie they had picked to see was sold out, a comedy about sea life. So instead they saw a romantic comedy about a superhuman girl who loses her powers and while getting used to being mortal, falls in love with a mortal member of her crime fighting team. The mortal member defeated villainy with gadgets and martial arts while she had superhuman powers to help her aide in battle. She lost her powers due to an insidious plot cooked up by the worst villain they had ever faced. Her mortal comrade stayed close to help her ease into human life while also vowing to protect her. Things lead toward love as they spend more and more time together, and the movie ends with a new relationship, her getting back her powers, and in short, a happy ending. Beast Boy had tried to convince Terra that he thought it was too full of romance for his tastes, though she had seen him cry during the climax. But her boyfriend liked to at least pretend to be tough, so she had let it go. A few years ago she wouldn't have, but they had grown out of that now and so she let him get away with quite a bit more these days.

They settled down under a shady oak tree in the west end of the park next to the large water fountain. He had brought a blanket for them to sit on while they had a peaceful picnic in the park. The day was far too nice for them to be cooped up inside the tower. Cyborg and Starfire had decided to stay in and repair the T-car and Robin hadn't been seen since the night before when he had silently slumped up to his bedroom.

Terra sat on the blanket deep in thought as Beast Boy laid out the food he had prepared for their picnic. He had brought leftover cheese and veggie pizza, chips, sodas, and peanut butter and jellybean sandwiches. Beast Boy handed a slice of pizza to his girlfriend with a smile and took a large bite out of a sandwich, spilling a few jellybeans on his lap. He took a swig of his soda and looked over to find his companion nibbling absent-mindedly on her pizza slice.

"Tara, what's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Tara looked up into the green eyes of her changeling boyfriend. "What's wrong?"

Beast Boy laughed gently. "You were daydreaming honey. What's on your mind?"

Tara looked at Beast Boy gently. He was so kind and loving towards her, always looking out for her. It took him a few months to get into the groove of being her boyfriend, and even now had moments where he needed vast improvements, but for the most part he was more than she could have ever wanted from a lover.

"I'm just thinking..."

"About what Tara?"

"Robin." Beast Boy's back went straight as shock and confusion took over his facial emotions. Tara looked up and laughed nervously as she saw this.

"Oh... Garfield, no. I just mean... he's been so distant lately and even more so since we haven't received any word from Raven in a while. He sent her that reply almost a month ago, and we haven't had any word from her in all this time. Do we even know if she is coming back?" Tara felt frustrated. She could see all her teammates were in pain over the lack of the dark empath that had lived with them for so long. She and Raven had even been close for a while, maybe not as close as Raven had been to Starfire, but still closer than she had been to many of her friends in the past.

Garfield smiled warmly at his girlfriend. He loved it when she called him by his real name. A few months after Raven had left; his relationship with Tara had become more serious. One night they decided it was time to drop pretense, and he insisted she be allowed to use his real name instead of only his codename. She in turn had given him her name, though similar as it was to her codename. Things were fine for a few weeks, when he got sick of the secrecy and decided that he would tell the rest of the team his name so he could just drop the pretense with them all. Tara agreed to do the same. He didn't ask them for their names, he didn't care if he had them. Neither did Tara. They just wanted to be able to drop pretense and be able to be just a little bit normal. Starfire happily shared her name with the group, and Cyborg was also open to the idea. Robin on the other hand was not. He begged forgiveness, but chose to keep his identity intact. He told them that he didn't feel it right to drop pretense with the team, unless he was doing it with the entire team. He promised he would trade in his codename after Raven came home to learn it with the rest of them. He did make them all promise only to use his real name when they were within the confines of the tower though. They had all agreed to and understood his decision.

Gar thought about things for a moment. It had been close to a month since Robin had mailed the letter to Bruce Wayne telling Raven they would be delighted to have her back at the tower. Bruce had been their middle man when it came to contacting Raven. It seemed he was the only one who knew exactly where she was, though no amount of pleading could get him to reveal the location of her whereabouts. In the beginning they had all written her letters and sent them to her through Bruce until he told them he had been asked to make them stop. Bruce understood what she wanted to do, and knew she needed to be left alone. He had talked the team into believing that it was for the best, and they had all believed him.

Gar knew that Raven would eventually come home. She loved the team too much. She may have been dark and cynical and creepy, but she was very loved by the inhabitants of the tower, and she loved them all deeply too.

"She'll come back. Don't doubt it. Raven just has some things to straighten out. She will return when she believes she is no longer a threat to our lives."

Tara blinked at the changeling. Sometimes his maturity stuck out and he sounded far too wise to be the man she loved.

"When do you think she will come back?" She asked him.

"The only one who knows that is Rae. No one else will ever be able to answer that question. She knows that we want her back, but now it's just a matter of waiting around to see if she is ready to take us up on that offer and leave whatever life she is currently living behind to re-join the team." He offered thoughtfully.

"How do you think it will be when she comes back?"

"Well... she will have obviously changed. She left to get control of her powers, and if she is considering coming back, then she must have attained some control over them... or at least, more than what she had. So things will probably be different with her. It's been three years. She's had a life outside of the Titans during that time. She's sure to have experienced a lot. We've all changed, but that doesn't mean we can't all still be friends..."

Garfield had thought things through before. He had complete faith in the fact that Raven would come home, regale them of her tale, and then things would fall quickly back into place. He had a lot of faith in Raven. He knew that no matter how much she changed, she would still be Raven enough to relate to the team. She would return and they would be friends again, a team again. They really couldn't afford not to be. They were close friends and everything, but he had felt that without Raven, the team's unity had begun to crumble.

"Tara? Do you think the team will be ok if she doesn't come back?" Tara looked up in surprise at her lover. He had been lost in thought for quite a few minutes. She thought about his question, judging her opinion carefully before answering.

"Honestly," Tara took a breath, wording things carefully, "I can see the Titans heading for a breakup if we don't get her back." Gar nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you think that?" He asked her.

"Robin. He's supposed to be our leader, and yet it seems that he has fallen apart the most without her around. He was hardly even close to her! Why is he in such a melancholy state with her away?"

"I think the lack of closeness plays a part in it."

"I don't understand."

"He wasn't close to her, and now he regrets that. He's seeing that there is the possibility of her not returning, and I think he is looking at the 'what-ifs' and seeing what kind of a friendship that could have been and he has missed out on." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I think that possibly he feels he is somewhat to blame for her leaving. Like he thinks that if he had bothered to get closer to her that he could've prevented her having a need to take a break from us."

"He acts almost fond of her."

"Victor was saying something along those lines." Tara looked at him in delighted surprise. Garfield nodded.

"Yeah, Vic was saying that Robin has been having some kind of a dream. He said it was all symbolism, but that it points somewhat obviously to a crush on Rae, even if the Boy Wonder hasn't picked up on the feelings himself yet."

Tara sat on their blanket dreamy-eyed for a moment. The thought of Robin actually getting together in a relationship with someone had always made her smile. He was a little too high-strung; he needed a loving woman to loosen him up. She thought it a shame that he didn't have what she and Gar had. She moved over to sit closer to her boyfriend, lying on his chest and letting him wrap his arms around her.

"I love you Garfield."

"I love you too darling."

They sat there in peaceful silence for nearly a quarter of an hour before Gar looked down and noticed the time on the watch that wrapped itself so snuggly around Tara's wrist.

"Come on honey, we should be getting back." He motioned to get her up so that he could pack up the remainder of their picnic. She protested lightly, but allowed him to get up and after he had packed the picnic contents, she helped him fold the blanket. They walked hand in hand out of the park to the entrance where Gar's moped was parked.

They drove on their way to the bay and opened the underground passage via remote to the tower. The passage had been built right after the team had met Terra. The passage went under the bay connecting the port to their garage. It could only be open with a remote frequency from their communicators and was programmed with voice recognition for extra security. To help add to the security, Cyborg had equipped the tunnel with scanners that checked your body temperature and DNA strands to guarantee you were who you said you were, and announced any unaccounted for guests to the members of the team who dwelled within the tower. It was quite the setup, one of Cyborg's most beloved projects. He had swollen his ego pulling it off.

After they were secure inside the tower's basement garage, they made their way to the elevator and rode up the various floors to the level the kitchen was on. They exited the elevator and made their way to the kitchen to find Cyborg and Starfire inside.

"Hey Vic, Kori; how are you guys?" Gar asked them with a smile.

"Good man, good. How was the movie?" Victor replied.

"It was pretty good. Could've been better, but we had to settle on a second choice." Tara looked over to notice Kori was being exceptionally quiet. Before she had a moment to ask her about it though, there was a ring at the doorbell.

"I'll get it!" Victor yelled as he exited the kitchen. He had mostly yelled it so that Robin would be able to hear it as well from his bedroom.

Victor came to the computer screen next to the elevator doors and used the lower camera to take a glance at their visitor.

"Hello Miss? Can I help you?"

The young girl with violet eyes looked up at the camera and smiled when she heard the voice from the speaker in front of her.

"I knew you wouldn't recognize me. How are you Victor?"

Cyborg's eyes widened as he looked at the girl in front of the camera.

"R...Rae... Raven?"

She smiled gently back at him.


	6. Doorbells & Hugs

**Chapter Five: Doorbells & Hugs**

Cyborg stood staring at the computer screen that held the image of his favorite female, his face filled with disbelief. Quickly his brain began working again and he pushed a button that lowered the elevator to the ground level and unlocked the door which would allow his visitor inside.

Raven stepped back slightly at the noise the doors made when they opened. She had been looking into the camera to let Cyborg see her face and was caught slightly off-guard at the noise. Once the doors opened, she entered into the warm safety of the elevator and rode it up to the main level in nervous silence.

When the elevator came to a stop she stepped out and saw Cyborg standing in front of her, surprised disbelief still on his face. He laughed gently before stepping forward, bringing her closer to her friend.

"Hello Victor."

A tear came streaming out of the metal man's human eye. He stepped closer and brought her into a tight embrace, lifting her off the ground and into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned herself into the hug, fighting back her urge to shed tears of her own.

"I've missed you so much Rae." He whispered into hair just near her left ear. "You don't know how much we have all been waiting for you to come home. You don't know how much we have wanted you back sooner than this."

She smiled and then felt herself lower to the ground. She looked up into his face and placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently.

"I've missed you all as well. More than you will all ever know. I hope I am not inconveniencing anyone by appearing so suddenly without warning."

"Everyone will be delighted to see you Rae, you can't possibly inconvenience anyone." He smiled back at his friend. He was elated to see her, his heart was jumping for joy.

"Friend Cyborg? Oh, I am sorry; I did not mean to interrupt your visit with your friend. Please excuse me." Starfire had come into the room but was retreating back into the kitchen.

"No, Star. Come on back here. Raven is home!"

Starfire turned around quickly, hovering over to stare at the strange girl who stood next to Cyborg. She studied the girl closely, taking in as much detail as she could. When her eye's met the girls she smiled. They held the clouded mystery that Raven's eyes had always held. She smiled a large toothy grin before jumping at the girl.

"Friend Raven! I have missed you so!" She said as she brought Raven into a tight hug which nearly knocked the dark girl off her feet as it caused her breathing to strain.

"Hello Starfire. I've missed you as well. How have you been?" She was relieved when the alien girl released her from their hug.

"I have been well indeed. I cut my finger today, but other than that life has been full of much joy! I am thrilled to see you back in the tower! You will be staying this time, yes?" Starfire was talking a mile a minute. Her smile grew when Raven nodded, confirming that she would be staying in the tower. "Splendid! I shall make you the pudding of welcome-ness!" With this Starfire hovered off towards the kitchen, leaving Raven and Cyborg with worried looks on their faces.

Terra and Beast Boy had come out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was about and now stood next to one another just off to the side. Raven looked over at them and smiled gently. Beast Boy smiled, immediately figuring out who the girl was. Terra's face was blank as she blinked at the girl in disbelief, finding it hard to convince herself that this girl before her might truly be Raven.

"Hello Raven." He nodded before stepping forward awkwardly to hug the empath. He had never been able to hug her without her getting upset, so he was very cautious as he hugged her now.

"How are you Beast Boy?" She replied as she returned his hug, surprising and delighting the changeling.

"I'm good Rae. Glad your back." He smiled at her.

Terra approached slowly. She was unsure how she should act at this point. She had so many mixed feelings on things that revolved around Raven. She was shocked when Raven came to her and placed her arms around her in a tight hug. Terra smiled and returned the embrace.

"Welcome home Rae."

"Thank you Terra."

They pulled out of their hug and just as Beast Boy was about to ask about where she had been these past few years, the door to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms opened. A very distracted Boy Wonder stepped out of the door and down the stairs, his nose buried in computer printouts concerning a recent bank robbery. He was always the type to bury himself in his work when he had nothing else to keep his mind off his problems.

"Hey Cyborg, when you get a chance can you do a scan on Control Freak's current prison status? This robbery fits something that he may have done." Robin said in the direction he thought the metal man was in, without looking up from his paperwork. Raven smiled and shook her head lightly. "He hasn't changed one bit;" she thought to herself. He brushed past the group on his way to the common room without noticing the dark-haired girl who stood among his teammates. Starfire came hovering out of the kitchen just as he passed stirring something blue in a bowl.

"Friend Robin, isn't it wonderful? Raven has returned!"

Robin stopped in his tracks and turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. His mind quickly went to work processing what the orange girl had just said and he turned around to look back at the group. His eyes moved over those standing there. He saw Cyborg's metal glisten out of the corner of his eye. He met eyes with the green changeling and then with Terra before meeting the dark purple eyes of the dark-haired beauty who stood back into the shadows ever so slightly. She stepped forward, moving past her friends, placing herself out in front with no barriers between her and her leader.

"Hello Robin." She said with a soft voice that made his heart stop and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as his body yearned to touch the creature that had honey kissing every word that her mouth spoke.

"Raven?" He blinked at her in disbelief as he took a step towards the creature that stood before him. His eyes studied her face, taking in the bone structure and shape, taking in the way her hair fell around her eyes. He walked right up to her, reaching his hand out to draw her chin up to look at her eyes closely. He looked deep into the swirling mists of purple that made up her eyes. They held a dark foreboding that was unmistakably those that belonged to Raven. He smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. It was tighter than Starfire's had been, yet much more gentle. He hugged her completely, drawing every inch of her body into his in the momentary embrace. He pulled away shortly after it began, not quite having his fill, but not wanting to give off a false impression.

"Welcome home Rae. Welcome home." He couldn't control the smiles he held on his face.

The group had moved into the living room, and the two birds followed them and took their seats on the couch with the rest of their comrades. Starfire was trying to get everyone to try her Pudding of welcome-ness that she had made to welcome Raven home, only succeeding in getting Terra to try it. The blonde told them it tasted like skittles, honey, pickles, and ice cream. The team chatted to themselves lightly, avoiding their questions, just trying to make Raven feel at home.

Robin sat on the far side of the couch watching the empath as she interacted with her teammates. She was Raven, and yet she was so different. She smiled often, laughed occasionally, and was friendly, warm, and caring. Physically she had gotten stunning. Robin had always thought she was attractive, just closed off. But now she was breathtaking. She was curvy and slim. Her dark eyes and black hair complemented the new peach tint her skin held. At one point Starfire stole the black cape she held so tightly on her shoulders, revealing a Goddess underneath its folds. The green tank top hugged her breasts while revealing a toned tummy below, the camouflage mini skirt accented her hips and left her fishnet clad legs visible. Her boots added the attitude she always held while still allowing the simple outfit to be sexy. Her voice had a honey sound to it that Robin couldn't help but adore, he kept readjusting himself to hide the tightness he was feeling in his groin. Her overall appearance and the gentle sound of her voice were giving him a very obvious problem that he didn't want the rest of the team to notice.

After an hour or two of small talk that included Terra telling Raven that her and Beast Boy were a couple, and Starfire telling Raven about how she had cut her finger; Cyborg suggested that they all go on to bed.

Beast Boy and Starfire protested, both wanting badly to hear of Raven's journeys. Raven stood and promised that she would tell them, but Cyborg said it would be fine waiting till morning.

"Raven, your room is all set up and ready for you. We haven't changed anything since you left, though Star has kept it dusted and clean for you." Cyborg said as he led her towards the hall.

"Thank you all." Raven said softly as she followed the metal man down the hall, her friends following, un-including Robin who had remained on the couch.

They all bid her good night as Cyborg shooed them all off to bed. Terra and Beast Boy turned back to the Elevator to go to their rooms, followed closely by Starfire. Cyborg headed back to the living room to talk with the Boy Wonder as Raven stepped into her old room, the door closing swiftly behind her. Cyborg reached the living room and saw his leader sitting on the couch, lost in thought.

"Hey Rob! Why don't you go on to bed too? We can all wake up early and hear what Raven has been up to after Breakfast."

The Boy Wonder shook himself from his thoughts and nodded before rising to head on to his own bedroom. Cyborg set the alarm and rode the elevator up to the floor that held his and Starfire's bedrooms.

Robin walked down the hall to his bedroom door. He glanced down to the left to let his eyes linger on the nameplate just above the door next to his that read "RAVEN", just as he did every night before typing in his door code and heading into his room for bed.


	7. Midnight Visit

**Chapter Six: Midnight Visit**

Raven walked slowly around the outer perimeter of her bedroom, her hands lightly dusting across the shelves as she walked around, examining her old bedroom. Just as Cyborg had told her, every book and knickknack was untouched except for dusting. The floors were freshly vacuumed, the blankets on her bed freshly laundered. The curtains were drawn open; the window recently washed allowing a spotless view of the full moon to be seen from any point of the bedroom. She wandered over to her closet and opened the door finding her uniforms hanging perfectly on their little plastic black hangers, her boots on the floor in a row. She hadn't left them hung so perfectly, it looked like the Boy Wonder had let some of his perfectionism leak into her room.

She went over to her bed and pulled out her silver cell phone to make a call to Jennifer. She told her friend that things were fine and she would be staying the night at the tower and would send for her in the morning after she had checked with Cyborg that it would be alright for her to come finish her stay in Jump City at the tower. She flipped her cell phone closed and then laid herself down on her bed with a sigh. She took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of lavender that filled her room. Starfire must've been burning a candle to keep the smell alive in her room all this time. Raven stared up at the ceiling allowing her mind to wander as she examined each of her friend's reactions to her arrival.

Robin walked around his room in a spherical pace. His mind was racing, his dreams were coming true. Raven was back. It had taken so long to get her back and now here she was, in her room, right on the other side of his wall. His mind was elated to see her, as was his heart, but worry took over. What if she wasn't planning on a permanent stay? Was this merely a temporary visit? Where had she been? Was she safe there? Why had she asked Bruce not to tell them of her whereabouts?

His mind filled with more questions than could be answered. He was torn between his happiness of having her back, and his fears of losing her again. He was also troubled by the lustful feelings his body was screaming to him about. Raven had changed a lot. She was stunning, no longer the wallflower she used to be, hiding within the confides of her robe so that her body couldn't be seen and her personality could remain unknown. She had grown and matured, acquiring a gentleness that he would've never thought possible for her to have. She must've seen so much in her absence from the tower. She seemed to be almost humbled and it was something that would take some getting used to.

He felt attracted to her. Physically, mentally, he wanted to see her, talk with her, and get to know this new Raven. He felt like he didn't know his friend and it bothered him. He paced around his room more. He stopped and looked over to the wall that connected his room to hers. There was newspaper clippings littered across its surface. The surface wasn't what he was looking at. His eyes were trying to look past the wall and see into the space behind that wall. He wondered what she was doing, if she was asleep or walking around in her room like he was in his.

Against his better judgment he put a white t-shirt over his naked chest and pulled a pair of jeans on over his black silk boxers. He looked in the mirror to make sure his mask was on and straight and walked out of his bedroom and into the hall. He looked both ways down the hall and after he was certain that no one was around, he walked to Raven's door.

Robin knocked on the door gently. There wasn't any sound on the other side of the door. He knocked again, no response. Why wasn't she answering? He began to worry slightly, so he reached up and gracefully typed in the 6 digit code that allowed entrance to Raven's room. The door opened with a light whoosh and Robin stood there looking into her room. Raven's mind had allowed sleep to come and she was now slumbering silently on her bed. The room was quiet and dark with the exception of the moonlight leaking in through the window. Robin stepped in, the door closing quietly behind him. He walked over to Raven and looked down at her slumbering figure. She was beautiful. She lay on her back with her left hand on her stomach; her right was up by her head. The moonlight bathed her peach colored skin with a milky shimmer that just made her look stunning and exotic. Her tank top hugged her chest as it heaved up and down with every breath, Robin felt a tightness in his groin which forced him to look away as a light shade of red crept across his cheeks. Her boots lay on the floor and her cloak had been tossed on a chair in front of her desk. Her skirt had lightly ridden up, exposing the straps of her garter belt which were keeping her fishnet stockings in place. He gulped hard and resisted the urge to reach down and touch the skin of her arms, or feel the fishnet on her legs like he was yearning to do.

Raven's senses had begun to awaken as she felt conflict of the mind somewhere near her. She moaned lightly as she stretched her body and opened her eyes, trying to get her eyes to adjust in the pale moonlight. Robin jumped back as she awoke. Would he be in trouble for entering her room without permission? He knew that her temper could be bad when others entered her room; she was so selfish with her privacy. Raven's eyes came to focus on the intruder in her room. She jumped up on her knees raising her right hand into a fist that glowed black with her power, the left hand reaching out towards the stranger but the power coming out of it moving past the figure to turn on a lamp behind him. On instinct, Robin jumped back and took up a fighting stance.

"Robin!?" Raven questioned as she saw who her intruder was. She lowered her arms and straightened her skirt, sitting back into a sidesaddle position. "What are you doing in here?"

"Um..." Robin gulped hard. What _was_ he doing in her room anyway? "I uh…." He thought fast. "Came to check on you, see that everything was ok, but when I knocked on your door I didn't hear anything inside your room and got worried so I let myself in. I hope you're not upset with me or anything."

"Uh huh..." Raven regarded him closely. He was hiding something, she was sure of it, but she was too sleepy to attempt to figure out what it was, so she let it go for now. She could easily interrogate him later. "Well, I'm fine. Everything is fine. I actually fell asleep quite easily." She yawned. "Why are you up anyway?" She stole a glance at her clock to see that is was half past midnight.

The boy wonder shrugged and bravely sat on a corner of her bed, only allowing half his body to face her. "Couldn't sleep."

She looked him over closely. He looked tired and worn, and yet over refreshed and energized. He seemed to have gotten quite a bit of sleep in the past few months, even if the sleep that came from his rest wasn't very kind to him. His body screamed of allowing sleep to be his own worst enemy. She could relate. She had been through the same thing before, needing to sleep from nothing else to do and with need to recharge her body and powers, but hating having to sleep from the demons that haunted her dreams. It's true that you are your own worst enemy, and the demons you haunt yourself with can get to you easiest through slumber. She brought herself out of her selfish trace and focused herself back onto the boy in front of her.

Her eyes regarded his physical features. He had grown in her absence. He seemed to be a bit taller, 4 or 5 inches perhaps. His upper body had grown as well, rippling muscles stood where young muscles had once peaked through. He had let his hair grow, and it was now long and sleek, stopping short just above his shoulders. His face had darkened, hardened and yet, there was a softness there. His eyes were still hidden by the mask she loathed so much, but they held dark circles around the border of the mask's bottom. Fatigue from worry had cursed his facial features, leaving him looking like a man who held much regret and almost hollow. His legs seemed to have gotten larger from muscle, although his jeans prevented much of that from being seen. His feet were hidden by a pair of bleach white socks. She suppressed a giggle as she realized she had never seen his feet outside of their boots before. She internally wondered why that was so amusing to her.

Robin had noticed her eyes upon him and looked with a soft smile in his eyes at the dark beauty who was looking him over. His features hardened as his mind went back to the worries he had regarding this girl in front of him.

"Raven, where were you?" he looked deeply into her eyes when she snapped out of her thoughts to look up at him, a bit of surprise on her face.

"Gotham." She replied simply.

His eyes widened, filling with hurt and confusion. "Gotham?! But, why… I... Gotham?" He couldn't believe it. With the two months that he spent in Gotham, he never once saw her there. The whole time she had been so closely under Bruce Wayne's nose and he never once could tell him that, allow him to stop worrying.

Raven moved her body closer to him and placed a hand on his arm, looking up into his eyes. His breathing shallowed as he saw her face come up within five inches of his, her lips glistening in the moonlight, showing off their softness.

"Robin, I'm sorry. But I needed to be on my own. Do things alone. Had you known where I was, could you honestly say that you wouldn't been able to leave me in peace while I did all that I did?" She looked up into his eyes, taking note of how he was acting with her so close to him. His actions confused her, but she focused on their conversation, deciding to analyze things in the morning when her mind was more awake.

"I... uh… hmm..." He thought about it for a moment, and she was right. He would've gone after her, begged her to return, promising to find a way to help her; anything to keep her from being alone as she did what she seemed to so desperately need to do. "I just felt like it was my responsibility as a leader to make sure things were fine with you. When you left I wondered if I had failed you as a leader by allowing things to go bad in your life."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Robin, it wasn't anyone's fault. What happened couldn't be avoided. I needed to go off and get things in control. It was too dangerous for any of you to be around while I did it. When my powers were going out of control, I could've killed any of you and not been able to do anything about it. That was the last thing I wanted. I also knew I could get things done faster without any distractions from you all. That's why I left the way I did. To protect you all and then get it done as soon as I could so I could return to you sooner."

His eyes widened as he listened to her, her head was resting gently on his shoulder. On impulse he placed his hand around her on her lower back. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"So, what all did you do while you were away then Raven?"

"Not tonight Robin. It wouldn't be fair for you to know what all went on while I was away before the rest of the team knows. I owe it to all of you to tell you all at the same time." She reached up and kissed his forehead before standing to walk him to her bedroom door. She opened her door and guided him out said a quick good night and then turned as the door closed behind her.

He stood dazed in the hallway for a moment before wandering off to his bedroom. He typed in his code and walked into his bedroom and looked around before flopping down on his bed with a deep sigh. His mind wandered to Raven and how wonderful she smelled, and how natural it felt to have her head on his shoulder. She had promised she would be there in the morning to tell everyone what all had happened with her in her travels. He would see her in the morning and it filled him with a sense of security. He rolled over on to his side and breathed in the scent of his linens deeply before letting his mind settle into a deep sleep.

Raven wandered her way back to her bed. She stripped off her clothes leaving herself in her bra and underwear before slipping her body in between her sheets. Something was different to her about Robin but she couldn't place her finger on it. Rather than haunt her mind trying to figure out what it was. Instead she allowed herself to relax until sleep came to her again. It was only a few hours until morning and then she would have to regal the team with the details of the past three years. It was something she really wasn't looking forward to.


	8. A Tale of a Bird

**Chapter Seven: A Tale of a Bird**

The sun rose early bringing Raven out of her slumber. She looked around, taking in her surroundings until her senses returned and she knew where she was. She dressed quickly before teleporting to the hotel room that held Jennifer and she gathered up a new outfit for the day, being careful not to disturb her slumbering friend. She teleported back to the tower and stripped down so that she could hop into the shower.

She showered quickly, taking a moment to enjoy the warmth of the water across her skin. She got out and dried off her body before wrapping her hair into a towel and walking back out to her bedroom. She dressed quickly and wandered out into the hall. Sounds of life filled the tower as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Tofu bacon!"

"Is tofu made of meat?"

"Of course it's not made of meat! Its tofu!"

"Then nobody wants it!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy were already in the kitchen having the usual morning breakfast battle. Raven chuckled lightly as she made her way to the table. Things hadn't changed at all. Starfire was hovering near the changeling and her robotic friend, trying to interject and give some way to settle the argument while Terra sat at the table, her head propped up on her arm as she attempted not to fall asleep where she sat. Robin appeared to still be asleep as he was no where to be seen.

"Hey Raven! Your pick since your back! What do you want for breakfast?" Cyborg looked over at her, happy to have found a way out of the argument. Beast Boy sat behind him, waving the box of tofu around with a cheesy smile on his face. He reminded Raven of one of the announcer guys from an infomercial.

"How about waffles and fruit with soy yogurt?" She replied with a smile. Beast Boy and Cyborg both dropped their jaws. It wasn't like her to settle an argument that let both sides win. Normally she took sides with Cyborg to see Beast Boy fume and complain.

"Well alright!" Cyborg smiled and then went off to begin mixing the waffle mix while Beast Boy stared at Raven for a moment as though looking to see if she was a Pod Person before running off to cut some fruit up into a large bowl.

The breakfast was made quickly. The five teammates had a lot of fun while it was being prepared. Starfire and Raven sat around chatting lightly about Tamaran, Terra got up from the table to help Beast Boy with the fruit and yogurt, and Cyborg was humming a merry tune as he made waffles. Just as things were finished and placed to the table, Robin strolled into the kitchen. Everyone gave him a pleasant welcome, Raven merely nodding her head towards him with a small smile. They all sat down and ate their breakfast while lightly chattering and joking with one another.

After breakfast was finished, and the dishes were cleaned and put away, the team filed out into the living room. Everyone took their places on the couch, all except Raven who wandered over to the windows, lost in thought as she looked out over the bay towards the city. Everything looked so peaceful and serene.

Cyborg looked over at his friend. He began to open his mouth to say something, wanting to ask if she was alright and ready to tell them of her life the past three years; but the phone rang before he could say anything.

"Computer, put the call on the big screen." Robin talked into the air, letting Cyborg's massive computer system answer the call for them.

"Good Morning Titans." Bruce Wayne's face appeared on the big television screen in front of them. "I just wondered if Raven had made it back yet or not."

Raven stepped into view of the video screen. "Good Morning Bruce, how are you?" She said to the man on the screen.

"Ah, so you did get there alright then. Alfred and I were a little worried when you didn't answer your cell phone yesterday."

"Yeah, we got in yesterday afternoon and I came straight to the tower within the hour."

"Jennifer enjoyed the trip then?"

"Yes, she's at the hotel for the moment, I need to call and make sure she is awake." Cyborg began to say something behind her, but she waved him off for the moment, letting him know without words that she would fill him in after the call.

"Alright then, you left a few things at my place. Let me know when you want them and Ill ship them out right away."

"Thank you sir, I'll be in touch. Give Alfred my love."

"Take care Raven."

"You do the same Bruce. Take care of yourself, Alfred…" she paused. "And everyone else."

Bruce nodded, understanding who she was referring to. "I will Raven, goodbye." There was a click and the picture vanished from the television screen as Bruce Wayne ended the phone call. Raven turned around to face Cyborg.

"A friend of mine drove in with me and is staying in a hotel in town for right now. I wonder if you would be alright with her staying here for a few days until she has to return home." Raven asked Cyborg, but also posed the question to the rest of the team. Everyone looked around at each other and no one spoke up with any problems. Cyborg looked at Robin who nodded back to him.

"Sure Rae. Ill set up the security codes so that it knows someone new is in the tower. Course, when she gets here we will have to do a body temperature scan and get a sample of her DNA for the computers." The metal man stood up and began tapping keys on a wall panel to begin setting things up. "When do you want her over here?" He said over towards her.

"I can run and get her now if you like. I had my things sent over and they are in boxes in the room as well. I'm not sure when you want any of that stuff brought over."

"We can run out and get it now. Get you all moved back in and meet your friend. Then perhaps after lunch you'd be ready to tell us of your life while you were away." Robin piped into the conversation. Raven nodded back to him and everyone stood to make their way to the elevator.

The team rode the elevator down to the garage level and stepped in. Cyborg thought it was the perfect chance to test out the T-Truck he built. It was similar to a moving truck but it was fully equipped and could easily be used as a transport prison to get villains to jail. He pushed a button which sent the computerized bars and chains into hiding making the truck look like an ordinary moving truck. Cyborg hopped into the driver's seat. Terra followed by hopping in the passenger side to sit in the middle. Beast boy hopped in next to Terra. Starfire decided she would fly there because it was such a wonderful day and she wanted to breathe in the morning air. Robin walked over to his R-Cycle and put on his helmet. He offered his spare helmet to Raven who accepted after thinking it over for a moment. Robin was a bit of a reckless driver, one should fear for their lives when riding with the Boy Wonder. She settled herself behind Robin, casually grabbing on to his waist. The doors opened and the vehicles moved out of the doors and through the tunnel than ran under the bay and led out to the city. The doors to the tunnel opened and they arrived out on the street. Starfire flew above the T-Truck while Robin and Raven rode ahead of them on the R-Cycle, Raven occasionally pointing out when Robin would need to turn.

Robin was enjoying himself. He was gaining speed and would take his turns quickly causing Raven to grab onto this waist harder. Halfway to their destination she had wrapped her arms around him and had her hands resting gently on his chest, her head laid up against his back. Robin's helmet hid the smile he was wearing from having his friend so close to him. Raven was in a bit of confused thought though. There was something different about the boy she rode behind. She couldn't figure out exactly what it was, but she was enjoying this side of him. She cuddled her body closer against him. There was something about being this close to him that relaxed her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could not ignore that the feeling he was giving her was too wonderful not to want to have inside of her.

They arrived at the hotel a few moments later and Raven got off the R-Cycle as Cyborg backed into a nearby parking spot and Starfire touched down behind the spot to help guide the mechanical man in. Raven began walking up to the room she and Jennifer had rented, followed closely by Robin. The rest of the team remained below getting the truck ready. Raven reached their room and unlocked the door with the key the hotel had given them. The two birds stepped into the large suite and Raven walked off towards the bathroom looking for Jennifer while Robin sat on the nearest bed. It was still perfectly made, leaving him to believe it would have been Raven's bed had she not stayed at the tower the night before. His thoughts were interrupted by Raven returning to the room followed by another girl.

The girl was tall and thin, just slightly taller than Raven and with a body build similar to Terra's. She had long straight dark brown hair that went just below her shoulders and was obviously just brushed recently. She had a light tanned skin tone and full lips that held a light hint of a pink lip stain to them. She wore a deep rose colored eye-shadow with brown eye liner on the top lid of her deep blue eyes. She wore a dark blue shirt that hugged her body tightly and accented her eyes to make them look even bluer than they should've been naturally. On her lower body she had on a pair of dark blue hip-hugging jeans that flared at the legs to cover up a good portion of her black combat boots.

"Robin, this is Jennifer Thompson. Jennifer, this is Robin." Raven did the introductions.

Jennifer walked over and held out a hand for Robin to shake. "Nice to meet you Robin." She spoke in a soft girly voice. Robin shook her hand noticing that her long piano-player fingers had black polish on their nails. "Nice to meet you as well Jennifer."

The group made their way downstairs to find the rest of the team who all met Jennifer with smiles. They all ran up and down the stairs, moving boxes and such into the T-Truck. Once the truck was loaded, Cyborg, Terra, and Beast Boy all loaded into the front seat and began making their way back to the tower, followed by Starfire who once again chose to fly. Robin offered Raven a ride on his cycle again, but she chose to drive her own car back with Jennifer riding along inside. He shrugged and began riding off, his helmet on tightly so she wouldn't see his disappointment. The girls began their ride back to the tower, talking lightly about how the team had reacted and about Robin's midnight visit to Raven's bedroom. When they reached the tower, Cyborg led Jennifer off to the security ward while the rest of the team loaded Raven's belongings out of the truck and into her bedroom where she told them she would organize them later.

In the security ward, Cyborg ran a few scans on Jennifer, took a DNA sample, and checked her body's temperature and weight. After all his work was done and entered into the computer so that nothing would attack Jennifer while she was in the tower, he took her down the hall from Raven's room to a guestroom that was set up. There was a dresser, a queen sized bed, and a desk inside. It also had its own bathroom for her to use. She asked if she would be allowed to set up her laptop so she could check her email and such to make sure things were well at home, which he showed her how to do so. He then left her in her room with the promise that he would tell Raven where she was.

Meanwhile the team was downstairs in the living room drinking lemonade and waiting for Cyborg to return.

Terra and Starfire sat on the couch next to each other. Beast Boy was slightly off to the side of Terra, his eyes closed as he caught his breath. The girls had made him do a lot of the heaviest lifting when he tried to be macho and take their boxes away from them. Robin sat on the far side of the couch near the window, his eyes focused on Raven. Raven was standing at the window, looking off into the bay.

Cyborg walked into the living room.

"Hey Rae! Jennifer told me to tell you she was going to be in her room for a while. Something about checking her emails and stuff." He sat on the couch in between Beast Boy and Robin as he spoke.

Raven turned and nodded.

"She plays the stock market. She likes to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't fall. Not to mention, that she was promoted at work when I quit, so she has to check on the staff to make certain they don't destroy the place." She giggled lightly.

"Friend Raven. Would you tell us of your travels? I am most anxious to know what you have been doing while you were away from us." Starfire asked.

The others murmured their agreement and all hoped that they would finally learn what had gone on while she was away.

Raven looked at all of them. They all looked so hopeful. She couldn't make them wait any longer. It just would've been cruel.

"Sure Star. I guess it's about time you all knew anyway right?" She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts.

"Well, when I left I headed to Gotham City. I wanted to just get far away. I knew that if I stayed too close you would all surely find me. I couldn't have that. I needed to be alone to do everything I had to. I was in Gotham for a week, staying at hotels and just trying to blend in. It wasn't easy. One night, Bruce happened across me. He was set on telling you all where I was. I spent a few hours convincing him not to. He understood what I needed to do, and even offered to help. He offered me a room in his mansion, and gave me an alias I could use. He bought my car for me, which I later paid him back for. He got me all the papers I could ever need. Social security cards, birth certificates, things to match my new name and identity. He talked to a friend and got me colored contacts, hair dye and body makeup, everything to help me hide who I was. It was helpful, and I appreciated it. After about a month though, I got my own apartment."

"Not too long after moving into my apartment, I met Jennifer. She lived next door to me. We became fast friends and she helped me get a job as a sales clerk at a local boutique. I quickly moved up to a management position there. On the weekends I worked in a nightclub. Only three hours a night on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. It was fun, and I really enjoyed it."

She paused to see if anyone had a question. When no one said a word, she took a breath and continued.

"About two months after I got there, I began having these nasty dreams. The dreams only got worse over the weeks that followed. My father was haunting my dreams."

"Your father? I didn't know you even had parents!" Beast Boy spoke up.

Raven giggled. "Of course I have parents! Doesn't everyone?" She looked at him with an inquiring smile to which he blushed profusely.

"My father isn't mortal. Have you ever heard of the Demon Trigon?" She asked of the group.

Starfire gasped; "His cruelty is known even on my planet".

"How did you know him Rae? He wasn't... couldn't have been… your… your… fath…?" Cyborg began.

"Yes Vic. He was my father. My mother was an Earth woman named Angela Roth. She was lonely and vulnerable. A cult that worshipped Trigon brought her into their ranks. They promised her true love and a family. Her family had been horrible to her. They didn't even notice she was gone when she ran away at age seventeen. They probably didn't care. She was fooled by their words. They did deliver her love and affection. But the man she was to bare the child of, wasn't a man at all. He was Trigon in disguise. He raped her. They had began to make love while he was still seeming human, but once his disguise was gone, she saw what he really was. She begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. She was raped. He left her, her loins bleeding, and his seed within her."

The girls gasped. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked horrified, while Robin was just stricken with shock. Raven continued her tale.

"The Monks of Azarath found her though. They brought her to their city and renamed her Arella, which to them meant 'messenger angel'. They cared for her. They then raised me. My father could exploit me, so I was taught early on to show little to no emotion. Arella wasn't even allowed to touch me, or see me. I only had Azar. She was like a nurse and mentor to me. She taught me so much."

"Well, the dreams I was having, my father was trying his hardest to take over my body. He wanted me to take over his goal. You see, I am his heir. He has many children, but I am the one who he chose to have born. He chose my mother to be his queen, and rule the worlds by his side along with me. I was to be his pawn, the one who did his dirty work. But I would have none of that. My whole life I have held nothing but hatred for Trigon. I have dedicated my time to doing good deeds. I decided long ago that if I did get under his control, and do bad things, that maybe the good I had done before would help make me more forgivable. I don't think it would have mattered when I destroyed the planet, but I still wanted to do everything I could to try to be good. Children always rebel against their parents I suppose."

"I talked with Bruce and Jennifer about it. They both decided it would be best for me to return to Azarath and ask the monks there for advice."

"Jennifer?" Terra inquired with a confused look on her face.

Raven paused and thought hard for a moment before letting off an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh my! I completely forgot to tell you. Jennifer is my sister! She is one of the other daughters fathered by Trigon. Her mother is a Priestess on Azarath. She was sent to look after me since it was obvious Trigon's influence was getting stronger. She is mostly mortal. The powers she received from Trigon are mostly limited to teleportation and healing energy."

The group nodded at her. Jennifer came walking down the stairs and took a seat on the couch next to Cyborg who had motioned to have her come and join them. Raven took a breath and continued.

"I went back to Azarath. After much deliberation, the monks decided it was time to banish Trigon from my body permanently. They spent weeks teaching me difficult spells and incantations. In time, I was able to banish Trigon from me. His physical form was long since dead, but I was able to manifest him into a physical form by removing him from my body and blood. My powers remained intact, thankfully. I wandered off into the outlands of Azarath, and challenged my father to the death."

"The death?" Robin sat up straight. "You mean you were going to murder him?"

"It was a duel to the death. Two walked into the battle, only one would walk out. I knew that if I was to ever be free of his tyranny and free to know that I wouldn't be putting the universe in jeopardy any longer, it was worth the risk. I knew I had to win, he had to be murdered. I was the only one who could defeat him. What choice did I have?" She replied, looking gently at the boy wonder.

Robin sat back and readied himself to listen to the rest of the tale, uneasy about the fact that Raven had committed murder.

"The battle was long and fierce, but in the end I was victorious. The universe was free from him, I was free from him. Things were safe once again. I traveled back to Gotham and I spent quite some time in Bruce's manor. I slept for days just regaining my strength. Jennifer sat close, using her powers to try to heal me and share as much energy as she could spare." She slipped a smile at her friend, who smiled back with a light blush on her cheeks.

"When I finally awoke, things were a mess. I had lost all control of my powers. I had to relearn to control them all over again."

"You lost control? But I thought killing Trigon would've made your powers more manageable?" Cyborg interrupted.

"That's what I thought too. But without the need to suppress him, my powers wanted to be used and be free. They were so thrilled to be rid of the evil that they overwhelmed me. It took everything I had to control them as to not destroy anything. I spent some time regaining control. As I did, my mortal side began to shine through. My skin lost its ashy color and began to glow peach. I stopped having to dye my hair; the violet color started growing out as black, just like my mother had. My body grew and changed. It was shocking, but welcomed. I liked being able to pass as normal. It was nice being able to blend in. "

She paused a moment to catch her breath. Starfire flew off and got her a glass of cold green tea that she had made the night before. Raven thanked her and took a drink of the refreshing liquid. She thought about the rest of her time in Gotham. She decided it best not to tell them about her relationship with Wally. She mentally communicated with Jennifer, asking her to not mention him at this time. Jennifer, of course, promised she wouldn't. Raven looked at her friends. They were all taking in her story. She took a breath and spoke again.

"The rest of my time in Gotham was mostly just getting used to my powers, and my new looks. I worked a lot and spent time with Jennifer and other friends when I could. I missed you all though. And in recent months I decided I was ready to return to the tower. So I sent over a letter asking if you all would want me back. Here I am!" She smiled warmly, and took another drink of her tea.

"Any questions?" She looked around at her friends, wondering if they would ask anything. She kind of hoped they wouldn't.

"I have one. Why did you tell Bruce to make us stop writing you letters?" Robin spoke up.

"I couldn't handle it. It made me miss you all too much. I wasn't ready to come back, so I decided to have the letters stop so that I could be away from the team. I needed to sever ties with you so that my time away wouldn't be a waste." The team nodded at her response.

No one asked any further questions. Raven sighed with relief. She hated being the center of attention when she was talking about herself like that. She was glad to have it over with.

"So… Who wants dinner?!" Cyborg asked standing. Everyone replied at once. Dinner sounded really good.


	9. A Flashy Visit

**Chapter Eight: A Flashy Visit**

The next few days went along like any other. Cyborg and Beast Boy woke up early and began debating the answer to the never-ending question of whether to have tofu or meat for breakfast. Terra would sit at the table, barely awake until moments before her food was set before her. Starfire would fly around trying to keep everyone happy and get things prepared. Raven and Jennifer would sit at the table drinking tea and chatting about various things. Robin would sit next to Raven, stealing a glance at her here and there as he read the morning newspaper.

The crime rate was down so there were no robberies to foil, no mysteries to solve, no stolen items to retrieve. Jump City was unusually peaceful. The team would spend time in the tower, or off showing Jennifer the city and letting Raven see what all had changed while she was away. They were just spending time together, enjoying having Raven back in their lives. Raven was so different than she had once been, and they were all getting to know her in stride. It was taking a little bit of getting used to. Now that the extreme joy of having her back had past, they had to alter the memories they had of her. They weren't used to seeing her smile, or hearing her laugh. They loved it; they just weren't used to it.

Finally after it had been a week since Raven had returned. It was time for Jennifer to return to her home. They Titans led her to the airport and wished her a good flight. She hugged Raven tightly and made her promise to remain in touch before getting off on the plane to return to Gotham. The first day or two after Jennifer departed, Raven was slightly melancholy. She missed her friend. Jennifer had been the closest person she had in her life for the past three years. Even more, she was her sister. She hadn't even known she had a sister until just before she was leaving Gotham. Jennifer had finally received permission to tell Raven about it, and she was elated to share the news. She loved Raven. She had viewed her as a sister before she even knew they were related. The Titans did what they could to keep smiles on Raven's face. It was easy enough. Raven was so happy to be back in the tower and among her old friends that she couldn't stay sad for long.

One evening, about two weeks since her reappearance, Raven got Robin alone in the evidence room. She confronted him about her status on the team. She wanted him to know that she wasn't ready to fight crime just yet. She didn't mind carrying her communicator with her and helping if they were really in a jam, but for the most part she wanted to just be normal for a little while longer. Robin understood and agreed to it. But he did plead with her to rejoin the team soon. They missed fighting alongside her.

Then one day, Starfire, Terra, and Raven went out to the mall to do some shopping for material to make Raven a new costume. She decided it was necessary. She wasn't sure when she would be fighting with the team again, but she knew she would need a new costume as her body's changes made her old costumes impossible to fit into.

The boys had decided to remain at the tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing on the Gamestation, while Robin watched from the couch. Then, all of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Robin said as he rose and walked to the door.

He turned on the video screen and looked at the guest who was standing there and recognized a familiar face. He pushed a button to send the elevator down to retrieve his guest. When the visitor reached the main floor, the doors flung open and the guest was greeted by a friendly face.

"Hey Flash! How are you man?" Robin stepped forward and shook Flash's hand, giving him a light hug as he did.

"Hey Rob. I'm pretty good. How are you?" He asked.

"I'm great! Raven returned and life is just wonderful. What are you doing way out here?" Robin asked as Cyborg and Beast Boy wandered in to see who the visitor was.

"Well, I was actually hoping I could stay with you guys for a few days or so. I have some business out this way to attend to." Flash said while nodding a hello to the new arrivals.

"I don't see a problem with it. What do you say Cy?" The boy wonder asked, turning to his metal friend.

"Of course, the more the merrier right?" Cyborg stepped forward and shook Flash's hand. "Kid Flash right? Nice to meet you, I'm Cyborg, this is Beast Boy." He said nodding his head to the changeling who smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand as well.

"Hey, call me Wally. It's nice to meet you both as well. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hey… it will be perfect. When the girls get home we can all drop pretense and that way I don't have to worry about you spilling my name before they know it." Robin said as he winked at Wally.

The boys agreed that it would be a good idea and wandered back to the living room. Beast Boy and Cyborg resumed their game while Robin and Wally sat on the couch talking.

"So, what kind of business do you have out this way?" Robin inquired of his friend.

"I'm looking for Morrigana. We broke up and I want her back. So I came out here to find her. I know she came this way, it's just a matter of meeting up with her." He replied.

"Well I'll do anything I can to help you look for her." Robin replied.

"Thanks man, you actually…" Wally was interrupted by the sound of the girls returning from their shopping trip.

"Hey girls! Come in here. I want you to meet an old friend of mine!" Robin called out to the door.

Terra and Starfire came along quickly; Raven took longer as she had run to her room to deposit her parcels before coming to the living room. Once she arrived, the other two girls had already met the guest. Raven walked in and rounded a corner to stop dead in front of Wally. They stood eight feet apart.

"W...Wally!?" She looked at him in shock and disbelief. Her legs felt like they would crumple underneath her, refusing to support her weight. She could feel her heart jump into her chest as her breathing became shallow and difficult.

Wally just looked at her with a light smile on his lips. He had such a sad love in his eyes.

"Oh! You two have met before?" Robin inquired.

"You could say that." Wally replied quickly. Raven was having trouble thinking of words.

The team sat around in the living room. Raven sat as far away from Wally as she could and wouldn't allow herself to make eye contact. Robin stood up and made the announcement that he was ready to drop the pretense. Each team member went around and told Wally and Raven of their true names. Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, Kori Andir, Tara Markov, Raven smiled as she heard them. She had known them for a while, having had figured them out while she was staying with Bruce. But she liked hearing them, and knowing she could actually use them. Finally it was Robin's turn. She looked to him. She knew who he was. She had even seen pictures of him when he was younger, without his beloved mask. She was eager to see what his eyes looked like now.

Robin reached up and removed his mask. Everyone on the team stared in awe at the blue mists that swirled around composing the look of his perfect eyes.

"My name is Richard Grayson. Bruce and Wally call me Dick though. You can use whichever name you prefer most." He smiled at them.

The team sat around talking for a while. Richard put his mask back on after a while. He felt weird without it. When questioned by Terra about it, he told her that he was more comfortable wearing it when he had his costume on. He would ditch it when he dressed in regular clothing. After sitting to the side, avoiding everyone for about twenty minutes, Raven stood up and excused herself from the group and hastily ran off for her bedroom.

Cyborg led Wally off to the security room to get his blood processed into the system for his stay and then find him a suitable guest room to stay in. Starfire and Terra were curious about Raven though. They had noticed that she wasn't acting herself ever since Wally arrived. They decided to go to her room and question her about it. Robin had noticed it too. He just wasn't certain how to handle it.

The girls got to Raven's room and knocked on her door. She used her powers to open it and they walked inside to see her on her cell phone.

"Yes, he is here. No I don't know why! What should I do? What? Are you nuts?! Alright... Ill keep you posted. Thanks Jenn." Raven finished her telephone call and closed her flip phone shut, ending the call.

Terra and Starfire looked at each other curiously.

"Friend Raven, what is the matter?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah Rae… what is up with you and Wally that you two aren't telling us?" Terra followed with.

Raven motioned for the girls to come and sit on her bed with her. She took a deep breath and wiped some sweat off her brow.

"I didn't tell you all something about my time in Gotham. I had something I… err… intentionally left out." Raven said nervously.

"What?! Why would you leave something out?" Terra asked.

"Because it hurt too bad to talk about." Raven replied simply.

"So, will you tell us now? We are here for you if you need us, but we need to know what is wrong." Starfire asked gently.

Raven took a deep breath, but before she could begin her tale, Robin knocked on her door. She used her powers to open it again.

"Rae, is everything ok?" He asked looking in.

"Not really. I suppose you want answers too though?" She looked at him annoyed. He nodded and so she motioned for him to come in. She took a deep breath and began her story.

"Remember I said that Bruce created an alias for me to use while I was in Gotham?" They nodded. "Well, while I was in Gotham, my name was Morrigana Lynne Rothers." Robin's face widened.

"You… you were Morrigana? Wally's Morrigana? T-The one he met at the party Bruce threw?" He asked her astonished. Raven shook her head meekly. Robin sat back amazed, taking it in. Something about knowing her and Wally had been together was really hurting him, and he was having trouble figuring out why.

Raven continued her story for the girl's sake.

"Well, I met Wally at a party that Bruce threw, just as Robin mentioned. We began dating soon after. Then, a few months into the relationship, he proposed and I accepted." Robin's eyes went wide again and he looked at her as he held back unexplainable tears. The girls just smiled and looked happy.

"Well, all this time we were together, he never knew I was a Teen Titan; he thought I was normal little Morrigana Rothers from Gotham. Just as I didn't know he was Kid Flash. Then one night, I was putting his clothes away and I came across a hidden door in our wardrobe. When I opened the door, I saw his Flash costumes inside. I confronted him about it, but he was glad I knew. He had hated keeping it a secret from me for so long. As time went by, I began feeling bad for not telling him who I was. So one night, just after I got the letter from Robin telling me I was welcomed back here, I told Wally everything." She paused, stifling back her sobs as tears starting flowing quickly down her cheeks, making Star come and wrap her arms around her, while Robin sat there with a worried look on his face.

"Wally got really upset. He told me that it was one thing to hide an identity, but it was completely different to lie about it. He broke up with me and moved out. He told me he hated me and never wanted to see me again." She said in between sobs. "It just made me come back sooner, just to get away from him. I couldn't stand being so close to him. Not when he was so upset with me." She broke down and started crying harder.

Robin stood up and left the room, heading next door to his. Starfire told Terra she would stay with Raven until she was calm, so Terra went back to the living room, suddenly feeling bitter towards the charming Wally. Raven cried into Starfire's arms for an hour before dozing off into a deep slumber. Star left her room quickly and went to the living room to find the rest of her friends. Both girls avoided Wally for the rest of the night.

The team all went to their bedrooms fairly early. All except Wally. He was on his way to Raven's room to talk to her, when he was confronted by Robin.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Robin asked his friend, coming out of a dark corner.

Wally, startled, turned around and asked, "Tell you what?"

"That Raven was Morrigana." Robin said simply.

"Oh... so she told you?"

"Yes. She told me everything actually. I think you should go to your room. Leave her alone. You broke her heart you know. I think she has cried enough tonight already." Robin stared coldly at his friend.

Wally knew when he was beat. He nodded and walked swiftly to the elevator to go to his room.

With that, Robin walked back to his room to turn in for the night. He couldn't imagine what kind of drama would unfold the next day, but he knew he wasn't looking forward to most of it.


	10. Resolutions

**Chapter Nine: Resolutions**

Things were tense the following morning. Terra had told Beast Boy and Cyborg about the past Wally and Raven shared the night before, and both boys were slightly reserved towards Wally because of it. Everyone had woken up and come to the kitchen to have breakfast. The meal was quiet and eaten quickly before each person departed to go their own way for their morning tasks. Everyone had been seen that morning, everyone; except Robin and Raven.

Robin had spent much of the night thinking about the Wally-Raven situation, deciding that he wasn't pleased with things. He decided that he would spend as much time near Raven as he could, in efforts to keep the two of them apart so Wally couldn't hurt her again. It had nearly broken his heart to see her cry. He also wanted to prevent them from getting back together. He was trying to convince himself that the only reason was so that she wouldn't move back to Gotham to be with him. He was trying to ignore his feelings on the matter entirely.

Raven spent the night in a deep slumber until a few hours before sunrise when she began having tormenting dreams. Once she woke up and showered, she felt refreshed and powerful. She decided that instead of hiding from Wally, she would confront him head on. She had done nothing wrong in her eyes. He was the one who didn't understand why she had needed to hide her identity from him. He was the one who had ended their relationship. He was the one who had shown up with no warning to torment her. She was not going to let him intimidate her.

She had been dressing very "Morrigana-like" since she had returned. Wally had left her for who she was. It was time she showed him the "Raven side". She pulled clothes from her closet that more resembled the "Raven side" and began to dress. She pulled on a black satin thong that was delicately decorated with black lace. Then she fastened on a black satin bra that had black lace on the cups that was meant more for show than utility. They were her secret weapons. Back before she had left the team, she had worn black satin thongs and sexy bras with lace everyday. They made her feel sexy and powerful. They brought her confidence up to extreme levels. When you are facing an enemy who could easily take your life, you need to be as confident and feel as powerful as you possibly can. She thought that these powerful under-garments could help her as she dealt with Wally. Over the under-garments she pulled on a pair of tight black jeans and a tight black long-sleeved shirt that had the Japanese Kanji character for "Faith" on the front of it in white. She pulled on a pair of white socks, followed by her black boots. She decided to leave her hair down for the day instead of wearing it partially up or back like she had been. She dusted on a pale grey eye shadow with some light-coral colored lip stain before heading downstairs.

Robin had gotten dressed and ready and was coming out of his room just as Raven was walking past his door, causing her to nearly bump into him as she past. He grabbed her around the waist to make sure she didn't fall as he apologized for coming out as quickly as he did. He didn't let go of her right away though. It took him a moment or two to realize that he still had her waist firmly in his grasp. He blushed and apologized again as he let go. She merely smiled and walked off into the kitchen to get some tea.

Robin followed close behind her, surveying the living room as he past. Tara and Garfield were sitting on the couch watching television. Wally was standing at the window, not seeming to be looking out of it. Victor and Kori were no where to be found though. Robin walked past Raven to get a glass to get some orange juice with. He kept his eye on her closely as he did so. He took the time to take note of her attire for the day, and found it rather odd that she was suddenly dressing dark again. He lightly chuckled to himself as her took in her appearance, even in the darker clothing style that she had worn before she left she still appeared just as girlish and beautiful as she did in all the other clothes he had seen her in since she returned.

Raven was standing around drinking a cup of tea as she let her eyes hover over Wally. She couldn't quite decide what she should do about the situation. It was a few moments before she noticed the Boy Wonder's eyes resting on her form. When she realized she was being watched, she glanced over in Robin's direction only to watch him jump back and blush profusely as he tried to look anywhere except her direction. She stepped back into the kitchen and walked over to him. She was feeling rather powerful and thought that just maybe she could persuade the Boy Wonder to give off a clue as to his behavior around her since her return.

She walked over and stood directly in front of him, leaning right up against him in efforts to grab a bowl from the cabinet behind his head. She kept her face calm and her body language deceiving. Robin tensed up immediately as she came near him. As soon as her body was nearly right against his own, he drew in a breath which he held. Raven took note of his nerves and attempted to analyze them, however the Boy Wonder had placed a shield over his thoughts as soon as she had come near him. She hated his protectiveness; it would've been much simpler if she could've only read his mind from time to time. She took the bowl over to the other side of the kitchen to prepare a quick bowl of cereal for herself. Robin regained his composure and cleared his throat as he came up behind her.

"Raven?" He asked from behind her, a light hoarseness to his voice.

"Yes Robin?" She replied without looking away from her cereal.

He frowned and came up closer behind her, bringing his face close to her head.

"Please don't call me that, you have my real name now. I prefer it be used." He said into her hair just near her left ear.

Raven smiled gently and turned to face him. Their bodies were nothing more than a foot away from each other. She looked deeply into his unmasked eyes, noticing that he seemed braver now than he had a few moments beforehand.

"Yes Richard?" She asked with a sly smile on her lips.

Richard was taken aback and left breathless, it was the first time that he had heard his name come from her lips and the sound of it was echoing through his head. He loved the way it sounded, and he couldn't wait to hear it again. His began to process again when he realized she was still standing patiently in front of him waiting for him to speak.

"Uh…" He cleared his throat and snapped himself back together. He glanced out of the small window that connected the kitchen to the living room and his eyes settled on Wally who was still looking out at the bay from their windows. "Raven, why do you think Wally is here?"

Her body tensed, she hadn't expected that to be his question, she wasn't certain what it was going to be about, but she hadn't expected Wally to be the topic.

"I'm not certain truthfully, perhaps he wants his ring back, or maybe he wants me to apologize for something that isn't quite my fault. I really couldn't predict what his purpose is here." She replied with a deep sigh as she turned back around to her now empty bowl of cereal. She walked past Richard to take her bowl to the sink for rinsing.

Richard watched her as she rinsed off her bowl, clearly lost in thought.

"What if he wants you to come back to him?" Richard bravely asked her, afraid of what the answer may be.

"I highly doubt that is the case" Raven replied with a bitter laugh.

"But if it is," Richard began as he came up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "Would you go back to Gotham with him?"

Raven turned herself around to look at the Boy Wonder's face. She glanced deep into his ocean blue eyes and saw worry and sorrow creeping up into them. He didn't want her to leave again, that much was obvious to her. How much had he put himself through while she was away? Was she the reason he seemed so worn and ragged?

She leaned up and kissed his cheek and then whispered into his ear; "I wont leave you all again, not by my own power anyway."

She pulled away from his body and smiled at him. He smiled back, seemingly eased by what she had said.

"Friends! Let us depart to the mall of the shopping where we might see a movie!" Kori's voice could be heard in the living room.

Richard and Raven walked out of the kitchen to see everyone assembled around Kori talking about which movie they should see. The team greeted the birds and in a matter of minutes, it was decided they would all go to see a movie.

Everyone loaded into the elevator and rode down to the garage. Victor, Garfield, Richard and Wally all loaded into the newly repaired T-Car while Tara, Kori elected to ride with Raven in her Toyota. Things in the T-Car were mostly silent on the way to the mall, whereas the girls were chatting lightly about Wally and why he might be in Jump City. They arrived at the mall and parked the vehicles. Everyone got out of the cars and began to make their way to the theater. Richard walked just behind Raven, who was walking next to Wally.

Wally had chosen to walk near her in hopes of talking with her, Raven on the other hand wasn't moving away from him in efforts of showing him no fear. They got inside the theater and tickets were bought. Raven, Tara, and Kori went to save seats while the boys got snacks from the concession stand. Before long, they boys had arrived in the theater and handed out their edible treasures as they took their seats. Garfield sat on the far end, Tara to his left. Kori sat in between Tara and Victor. Raven sat on Victor's left with Richard to her right and Wally had settled to the left of Richard. Wally had hoped to sit next to Raven, but once she had chosen her seat next to Victor, Richard had rushed forward to sit next to her. He was working overtime trying to keep them apart.

The rest of the evening continued without a hitch. The movie ended and the team chose to venture to a nearby pizza parlor for dinner. After dinner they all went back to the tower and everyone wandered off to their own areas. Garfield and Victor sat on the couch playing the Gamestation, Tara and Kori on the couch behind them talking about some of the outfits they had spotted in various store windows at the mall. Wally sat off to the end of the couch watching the boys play. Raven had retreated to her bedroom to read and Richard felt it would be safe for him to retreat to his room as well.

Time past and the team eventually all retreated to their rooms for bed, all except Wally. Wally remained on the couch, deep in thought over his disappointment of how they day had gone. He was seeing that Richard was going to be a bit of a problem in his plans to get Raven back, and that just wasn't acceptable.

Richard had spent so much of the day keeping Raven and Wally apart that he had worn himself out. After listening intently to make certain she didn't leave her room with the risk of running into Wally, he finally fell asleep on his bed. He didn't hear her get off her bed, open her bedroom door and walk down the hall to the kitchen.

Raven had noticed that Richard was attempting to protect her. She didn't feel he needed to, but she did appreciate it. She had used her powers to feel around the tower and sense everyone in a slumbering state. She knew Wally was still awake, and sitting on the couch. She could feel his emotions, and hear his mind calling out to her. She strolled right out into the living area and stood a few feet behind the couch behind him.

"Why are you here Wally?" Her cold voice broke through the silence of the room, startling him out of his thoughts, he hadn't noticed her approach.

He turned to look at her.

"You startled me; I didn't hear you come in." He said with a mild chuckle, avoiding her question.

"Just answer the question, none of your games tonight." She replied coldly.

He stood up and walked around the couch, attempting to come nearer to her. She backed herself up keeping a minimum of five feet between them. He noticed this and stopped walking, staying planted in his steps.

"I want you back Ana. I was a fool and I want you back in my life." He replied looking deep into her cold eyes, hoping to find a glimpse of compassion or sympathy. Instead he watched as her eyes hardened.

"So, you want Ana back but you came after a Raven instead. Too bad Wally, I guess you made your trip for nothing." She said bitterly. "It was helpful for me however, now I don't have to mail your ring back to you."

She walked up to him, taking the band off her finger as she drew nearer. She reached down to take a hold of his right hand and placed the ring in its confides. She ignored the shock and depression on his face and she turned to walk back to her own bedroom.

"Good night Walter." She said as she continued on, forcing herself not to allow the tears welling up in her eyes to run down her cheeks.

Wally sat in silence for many hours that night, eventually retreating to his guestroom. He thought over everything that had happened since he had learned of who she was. He relived the conversation that had taken place downstairs in the living room multiple times.

Before sleep came to him, he made the decision that he wasn't going to give up. It was obvious to him that she was simply still upset. She would come to accept things in time.


	11. Sunset Proposals

**Chapter Ten: Sunset Proposals**

Two days passed without much of a hitch. Raven spent much of her time enjoying the company of her friends and shooting Wally dirty looks. Richard spent time trying to keep them away from one another while noticing himself staying closer to Raven as each hour passed. Things were mostly fine. They were just waiting for the weekend to come. There was no crime to deal with and so they were able to plan outings for once.

Garfield had disappeared sometime early that Thursday leaving no notice of his whereabouts. When he returned he had seemed nervous and agitated, hurrying off to Victor's room and walking out of the room with a confident smile on his face. He had spent the rest of the day talking the team into spending that Saturday at the beach. Everyone had agreed willingly and was rather confused when he would keep confirming their plans to make certain no one had changed their minds.

Saturday morning came, and Gar had become extra nervous. He was running around packing lunches and was seemingly stressed about the day that was about to unfold. Everyone tried to ignore his demeanor in efforts to try to calm him. Tara was worried, but knew that things would be alright. Garfield just got like that sometimes; she was mostly used to it. Victor was the only one who seemed to have any idea what was going to happen on their trip to the beach.

The team eventually got things ready and settled and all loaded into vehicles. Victor, Kori, Tara and Garfield all hopped into the T-Car and led the way down the highway with the convertible top down. Raven drove her Avalon close behind with her windows rolled down. Richard sat in the front seat with her, and Wally took up residence in the back seat with two of their five coolers. They arrived at the beach and found a perfect spot that was large enough for their group. They laid down blankets and set up parasols to keep the sun at a distance. The coolers were buried lightly into the sand to keep them stable and shoes were discarded next to the backpack of the respective owner. Everyone applied sunscreen and Tara and Kori slipped off their tank tops and shorts and ran off into the surf. Richard sat on a towel next to Raven's as he applied sunscreen on his shoulders. Garfield and Victor had brought out a Frisbee and were tossing it gingerly to one another. Wally had stripped off his shirt and jean shorts and ran off into the water with the other two girls.

Raven sat on her blanket and pulled out a book. She fluffed up her backpack to use as a pillow and laid down to read for a short bit. Richard eventually lay down next to her as he let the rays of the sun gently color his skin a darker bronze. An hour passed and the team had all come back together and gotten a drink. There was much talking and laughter. Everyone appeared to be having a wonderful time.

A little after their lunch, the boys decided to play volleyball on a nearby net, Richard and Victor on one team, Garfield and Wally on the other. The game started normally, but quickly turned into a spectacle of competitiveness. Wally and Richard had started out in a light and friendly game, with mild competition as all boys are prone to do. As time advanced however, they began to appear like they were taking the game seriously. Victor and Gar were trying to keep the game light and friendly, but in no time, they were mostly left out of the match entirely. Richard and Wally were both continually jumping in front of them to hit the ball back across the net.

Vic and Gar eventually gave up and joined the girls back at the camp. Raven had shed her tank top and shorts revealing a black bikini underneath. The bottoms were a boy cut short with a small belt around them that was clearly more for décor than utility. The top was a halter that clasped behind the back and tied at the neck, leaving a V of exposure on her chest.

"Wow Rae! Nice tattoo!" Victor exclaimed when he noticed the raven lingering on her lower back.

"Oh… you saw that huh?" she blushed at the fact that he had noticed it. She had forgotten about it as she had undressed and had avoided showing the tattoo to the team.

An exhausted Richard and Wally limped over to where the group sat to grab drinks. Richard stopped in his tracks when he saw the Goddess standing there talking with his friends. He had never seen her in a swimsuit before. The least amount of clothing he had ever seen her in was her leotard from her old uniform. He came up close to hear them talking about her tattoo.

"Wait, you have a tattoo Rae?" he asked, bringing himself into the conversation.

She smiled and turned around. His eyes traveled down her spine, his muscles tightening at the sight of her smooth back. He couldn't help but steal a glance at her legs and her rear before letting his eyes settle on the small black raven that nestled itself so perfectly on her lower back.

"That's really beautiful Rae. When did you get it done?" he asked, trying to hide the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Shortly after the demise of my father" she replied as she turned around and settled herself back down on her blanket. "I wandered by the tattoo parlor and was looking in the window and thought that it would be something fun. The man there was very nice and I told him I wanted a raven. He started sketching quickly and told me that it would be best on my lower back unless I wanted something smaller, which he said could be placed on my hip. When he showed me the sketch, it was perfect. I paid my money and an hour and twenty minutes later I was tattooed." She laughed lightly remembering the story.

"Did it hurt?" Kori asked.

"A little, but that's mainly because the skin is thin back there, and the vibration from the gun resonates against your vertebrate. It was a little sore the next day, but otherwise there was no pain, very little bleeding, and no scabbing. I love it. I think it's the perfect tattoo." She replied.

"I always wanted to get one, but I don't know what I would have tattooed on me." Tara mentioned thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm off for a swim. Will anyone be keeping me company in the surf?" Raven asked the group, desperate to move the conversation onward so it would stop focusing on her.

The team all got up and made their way to the water. Everyone had a lot of fun in the water. They played various water games such as Marco Polo and water tag. Richard enjoyed water tag the best; he would continually tag Raven, allowing his hands to touch her soft skin, his arms to wrap around her waist before dragging her under the waves with him. He was having a lot of fun with it, all the time ignoring the fact that his heart was constantly skipping a beat when he brought her close to him.

Wally was watching everything and was getting clearly annoyed by it. Raven was still not exactly talking to him, but he was able to tag and dunk her just as often as Richard was without too much wrath falling his way. Before the sun was beginning to set, she had become obviously more comfortable with his presence. He assumed that she was thinking he had given up on the idea of them being together and was accepting him as at least a friend. It may not have been his intentions, but it was a start in his eyes. He knew that he needed her to at least stop being mad at him before he could work on getting her back at all.

Sunset was fast approaching. The air and the water had begun to chill, so the team retreated to the beach where they redressed into their shorts and shirts and sat down to eat. Once their meal was completed, they all sat around talking. Garfield had pulled Victor aside and gotten some sort of a package from him before dragging Tara off to a nearby hilltop to watch the sunset.

Kori sat with her back up against Victor's chest watching the sunset intently. Victor and she had gotten quite close while Raven had been away and they now spent much time together. Raven sat between Richard and Wally. Everyone was watching the beauty of the sun as it slowly lowered its way into the water, disappearing into the horizon.

Just as the sun finished being eaten by the sea, a loud squeal of delight came from the hilltop where Garfield and Tara had been sitting. The team looked over to see Tara tackle Gar, knocking him down and placing her on top of him as she pushed herself into a deep kiss with him. The team seemed amused, although confused about the action. Victor however, was smiling, "Good job green one" running through his mind.

About twenty minutes after sunset, Garfield and Tara came back over to the team who all stood to greet them with curious looks on their faces.

"Gang, we have an announcement to make" Garfield begun.

"We're engaged!" Tara joined in, too excited to keep it to herself as she held her hand out for the team to see, a shiny new silver band with a trio of diamonds on it glittering on her finger. Kori immediately tackled the couple and everyone followed with hugs and words of congratulations.

After things settled down, the gang began packing up their possessions so that they could go back home.

A lone man was jogging down the beach. Raven and Richard were the only two of the group left on the beach; the others were packing up the vehicles.

"Leaving so soon Raven? I didn't even have a moment to say hello." The jogger spoke as he stopped mere feet from the two birds.

Raven recognized the voice and turned around with a smile.

"Hello Garth. How have you been?" she replied.


	12. Atlantian

**Chapter Eleven: Atlantian**

"It's been a long time Garth" Raven said and she walked up and embraced the young man.

Richard had turned around when he heard the young man speak. He studied his features and quickly recognized him as Aqualad, a Titan from Atlantis who had fought with them many times before and was currently a member of Titans East. His hair had lengthened, and his muscles had defined themselves since he had last seen him. His mind was working overtime trying to determine why Raven would be calling him 'Garth' and how she would have come to known his real name.

The rest of the team had come back down the hill to see what was keeping the two birds. Everyone quickly recognized the Atlantian and said their hellos. Aqualad introduced himself to Wally and asked the team to call him Garth after they finished telling him their true names. He had been surprised when Richard came forth with his name, he laughed as he told they Boy Wonder how he hadn't recognized him without his mask on.

It was quickly growing colder, so the team decided that Garth should accompany them back to the tower to spend some time with them. They riding arrangements were the same, except Richard had been shoved off into the backseat of Raven's Toyota with Wally and the coolers so that Garth could sit up front with her. They talked lightly on the way back, mostly her answering his questions about when she returned, and how she had liked Gotham. Richard and Wally sat in the back glaring at the aquatic man. Richard was wondering in his head how Garth could've known that Raven was in Gotham, he had never heard her mention that fact to him.

The team arrived back at the tower and Kori and Victor put away the picnic supplies while everyone else chatted with the Atlantian. Soon after arriving home, Wally excused himself for bed, although ignored by most of the group when he did so, causing him to stomp angrily off to his room. He already did not like Garth, he was very obviously going to be a threat, and that was something Wally couldn't afford.

The hours past and the team slowly wandered off to their rooms for bed. Richard was the last team member to shrink off to bed, as Raven and Garth continued their conversation. He hesitated as he left the two alone together in the common area. He couldn't stay awake any longer, and when he suggested that they go to bed as well, he had been turned down by a quick goodnight from Raven as she continued her conversation with the aquatic man.

Once they were alone, Garth took the opportunity to indulge his curiosity.

"Raven, Wally is the same one from Gotham right?" he asked her. She nodded. "So why is he here?"

"Apparently he wants me back. He broke up with me, told me he hated me and never wanted to see me again, and yet here he is wanting me back." She said with a twinge of anger in her voice. He could sense the bitterness in her voice. He had hurt her more than her letters had led on.

Garth and Raven had kept in touch since the day she left Jump City. She had wandered to the beach in efforts to talk herself into leaving like she had been about to do. Garth was there swimming in the ocean and came to the shore to talk with her. He had always wanted to get closer to her. When he met her, he had seen the maturity and compassion she held in her eyes, even when it couldn't always show on the outside. He had never acted on his impulse, but seeing her on shore with such a lost look on her face, he couldn't help but go forth to see how things were. He had listened to her story, and agreed with her decision to leave to find control of her powers. They had exchanged emails and she had written down the address for the Titans East tower. As soon as she arrived in Gotham, they began writing to each other at least once a week whenever possible. They had become very close friends through those letters. It had been nice for her to have a friend like that in her time of need. As much as she had wanted to completely cut her ties with the friends she had known before Gotham, she enjoyed having someone familiar to talk to. He had promised to keep her secret from the team, and that filled her with even more security.

He had long since longed to see her. Through her letters he had gotten to know a perfect creature. Someone who was underestimated and often taken for granted. He wanted to know more about her, but even worse, he wanted to be close to her. He longed to hold her and make her world calm and serene. He had gotten word from her that she would be returning to Jump City, and he had come to the shore in hopes of seeing her after she returned. She, however, had no knowledge of his true feelings.

They talked for another half hour about Wally and how he had acted when she told him the truth. They spoke of his actions since he had arrived in Jump City and speculated on ways to deal with him.

"Perhaps if I start dating someone, he will return for Gotham and allow my broken heart to finally heal" she said half jokingly.

"That's actually not a bad idea Rae." Garth replied, seeing his opportunity to enter her life. "What if, I stayed for a little while? In the next few days you and I can become obviously closer and announce us as a couple before the week is out? Maybe, it will fool Wally into thinking he has no chance with you and will force him to leave." He suggested.

Raven sat silently for many moments, thinking the suggestion through. It actually seemed like a good idea. Here was a man who she trusted, who she knew would aim to help her and wouldn't hurt her. She could have a meaningless relationship with him and get Wally off her back. A fake relationship with a friend would be handy as well; no strings attached meant she wouldn't get hurt.

She looked up at the aquatic man in front of her, his eyes met hers and she quickly found herself lost in them. He leaned in and surprised her with a very deep but very gentle kiss. When he pulled away he saw the sudden worry on her face.

"Cant pull off a con if you cant pretend to have feelings for someone right?" he said quickly to ease her worry. She nodded in agreement.

They agreed to begin their plan in the morning before standing and walking off to bed. He walked her to her room and pulled her into a tight embrace before wandering off to the elevator that would take him three floors higher to the floor where Wally and his guestrooms where.

Raven walked into her bedroom, her door shutting swiftly behind her. She pulled off her clothing and immediately lay in her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

The Boy Wonder was pacing around in his bedroom. He had tried multiple times to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. His mind was racing, his heartbeat was frantic. She had called him Garth, before anyone even knew his real name, she had been using it. She used it so comfortably at that, as if she had been using it for years. She had walked straight up and hugged him tightly, far tighter than Richard was comfortable with. She had smiled at him, looked into his eyes, resembling someone seeing a long since lost lover again for the first time. It was bothering him heavily.

Why would it bother him so badly, why would he care if she and Garth were close? Raven was his friend; she was allowed to be friends with other guys' right? Why wouldn't she be?

As his pacing continued, he would occasionally stop to look at the wall that connected his room with hers. The hours pressed on into the night, it was nearly dawn before exhaustion kicked in, forcing the boy into a very uneasy sleep.

The following morning was the same as any other, with the exception of a new guest in the tower. Garth had helped Garfield win the morning fight of what to have for breakfast. Wally and Richard were both rather grumpy and had decided to sit off reading various parts of the newspaper.

The next few days were normal as any other. The team would go see movies, go to the park; they spent one of the days cleaning up the tower. It was fun to have everyone pitch in, and the bubble fight was entertaining enough to justify the work they had to do. The girls would spend time talking; the boys would play various sports or spar in the training room together. Raven and Garth spent a lot of time together. They would sit in comfortable silence on the couch or the roof, her lying in his arms as they read the same book together. They would go to book shops together, take walks along the shore of the bay, and other very romantic things. Tara and Kori were constantly talking about how adorable the two were together, which was something that was only angering Richard and Wally, who had hardly been able to talk to her or see her since the aquatic man had appeared.

Then one night Raven and Garth got in late and the common room was dark. They didn't happen to notice everyone watching a movie. Garth leaned in and gave her a deep passionate kiss. The kiss didn't end right away, and a certain young bird had gotten up and was heading to the kitchen for another soda. His eyes stopped dead on the couple in front of him, locked into a passionate kiss. His jaw dropped, his heart stopped, and his face fell as he watched Garth enjoying the tender honey that no doubt graced the lips of the dark haired beauty that lived in the bedroom next to his. Kori had gotten up to see what was taking Richard, as he was to grab a soda for her as well. When she floated over and stopped beside him, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Oh what joy!" she floated over to the surprised Garth and embarrassed Raven. "Why didn't you tell us that you two were dating?! What wonderful news!"

"Well actually Kori, it just happened tonight. I asked this beautiful creature to be mine and she agreed" Garth replied thinking quickly.

"That is so wonderful! I shall inform our friends and then make you the pudding of congratulations!" she said excitedly as she floated back off to the common room.

Raven met Richard's eyes and was quickly confused over the hurt she saw laying within them. He regained his composure quickly and walked off to the kitchen for his sodas. Raven was tempted to follow him, but was distracted by the rest of her friends coming in to congratulate her and Garth on their newfound relationship. She noticed that Wally was not among them.

Garth and Raven excused themselves and ventured up to the roof.

"So, how was that for quick thinking?" he said when they arrived.

"Garth, that kiss, was it…? She began.

"I had noticed Dick walking up, and thought it would be a great opportunity to push our plan further" he lied so that his feelings for her could remain hidden. If she knew that he was falling in love with her, and had wanted to truly be her boyfriend from the beginning, she would have never agreed to his plan. He wanted to be close to her too badly to let her deny his plan.

Raven nodded and rested herself in his arms, accepting his lie as the truth. Things were about to get increasingly difficult, she should get used to being in Garth's arms more often, as it would be the only way to pull this con off.

She was already feeling uneasy about it. Was it the fact that she was lying to her friends, or was it the look of sorrow she had spotted in the Boy Wonder's eyes? She couldn't decide, she just knew she felt uneasy about the whole situation, and lying in Garth's arms was not easing her worry like it usually did.


	13. Realizations

**Chapter Twelve: Realizations**

Richard had taken Kori her soda and sat in the living room with the rest of the team for a very short bit. After about twenty minutes or so, he got up and excused himself to his bedroom. He walked in his room and lay down on his bed with a very large, very long sigh.

Wally had gotten up shortly after the Boy Wonder and had wandered to his bedroom. He sat on his bed thinking for a few hours. How could Raven move on so quickly? Could Garth merely be a rebound to help to get over him? He let his minder linger on their last weeks together as a couple. The more he thought things through; he was more determined to get her back. He began to wonder to himself if they even truly would make a good couple, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Finally sleep came, and visions of triumph filled his mind as he made his confidence ready to win Raven back.

Richard tossed and turned in his bed for hours. He finally gave up on sleep when he turned to notice his bedside clock say that it was four in the morning. He couldn't get the image of Garth's lips on Raven's. He couldn't get the serene look on her face off his mind.

Confusion and fear overcame his emotions. Raven had said that she wouldn't leave the tower again under her own power, and yet he felt like he had lost her again. She hadn't been back for very long and yet he felt that she was already walking out of his life.

The sun rose swiftly, but Richard didn't leave his room for many hours. It was nearing noon before he finally was bothered to shower and get dressed. When he walked out of his room he quickly found that there was no one else in the tower. A life scan showed that Gar was in the sparring room alone, and that Victor was in the garage. He decided to ride the elevator down to visit his metal friend.

When he arrived in the garage he looked out to see two metal legs sticking out from underneath the T-Car, a merry tune being whistled in the air.

"Hey Vic, what are you doing?" Richard made his presence known.

"T-car needed an oil change. What are you up to Dick?" Victor said from beneath the car.

"Not much, just figured I would come down, see what you were up to and offer help if you needed it." Dick said lightly, coming to sit on a chair near the T-Car. The metal man slide himself out from underneath the car and walked over to grab a rag for his hands.

"So in other words, you needed someone with a good ear to help you get your head on straight." Victor said with a smile. He leaned over to tweak things from the top of the engine bay. "What is clouding your mind today man?"

Dick smiled; Victor could read him like a book. Was he really that predictable? Dick took a breath and asked the first thing that came into his mind.

"What do you think will happen if Rae and Garth get serious?"

"Heh, I really doubt it will happen, so I'm not too worried." Victor said with a light chuckle.

"Why is that?" Dick inquired.

"Garth isn't who she is meant to be with. She doesn't love him, and he isn't as dashing and charming as the girls want to believe. He won't be able to grab hold of her heart." He replied without looking up from his task.

"Who is she meant to be with then?" Dick asked curiously.

"That has yet to reveal itself to everyone else, and I will keep my suspicions a secret until they do. But I will say that it isn't Garth." Victor tightened a few bolts before getting back underneath the car.

"So, how do you feel about their relationship anyway?" Dick asked.

"I think it's fake." Vic replied simply.

"Fake? What do you mean by that?" Dick asked, his curiosity growing.

"Rae is really upset with Wally being here. Sure, she has been easing off of him a bit, but she really wants him to leave. What better way to make him give up and leave than to get involved with someone else?" Victor said as he drained the oil from the pan.

"You didn't see them kissing last night though. That wasn't just some fake kiss. There was far too much emotion in it. She looked peaceful and happy while he had his grubby lips all over hers." Dick replied bitterly.

Victor climbed out from under the car, letting the oil drain. He grabbed his rag and wiped some oil off one of his arms and smiled at Dick. He was so clueless to his own emotions. Victor found it funny; it was amusing to see the Boy Wonder tearing himself up over something he didn't understand.

"That sounds like jealousy to me Dick." He replied with a knowing smile.

Dick gave off an astonished face and began to defend himself.

"That's ridiculous! Raven is my friend; I'm just looking out for her well being." He said, not really believing his own words.

Victor chuckled. "Uh huh, sure, how long are you going to keep telling yourself that?" he asked with a wink.

Before Dick could answer though, the elevator doors flung open, letting Garfield walk into the garage.

"Hey guys" he said cheerfully.

"Hey Gar, what do you think of this whole thing with Garth and Raven?" Robin asked him quickly, happy to find a way to avoid Victor's question.

Garfield thought about it for a few minutes before answering.

"I dunno, Garth is a nice guy and whatever, but I don't really see him being right for Rae."

"So you think she should be with Wally instead?" Victor asked curiously, pretending not to notice Dick take light offence to the subject.

"Not really. I was actually really surprised when I found out that they had been together at all. He really isn't her type. And I mean, I know that I didn't know her as 'Morrigana' or whatever, but I still doubt that she was different enough while she was in Gotham to make a relationship like that work. I really wonder how they managed to get together at all." He replied.

"I have to wonder if she didn't just feel lonely and see a charming young man who was interested in occupying her time." Victor said simply, directing his words to no one in particular.

Victor climbed back under the T-Car to start changing the oil filter, while Garfield waited up top for permission to pour the fresh oil into the engine. Dick sat in silence, lost in thought, while the two boys talked about a football game that would be televised the upcoming weekend.

After a while, Dick excused himself and wandered back to the upper levels. He stopped at the floor that held the common room and walked a few feet out of the elevator to overhear Tara asking Raven what kind of a kisser Garth was. He sighed heavily and walked back into the elevator, riding it up to the rooftop. He stepped out of the elevator and walked out to the ledge and sat with his legs hanging off the side of the tower.

He thought to himself for quite a while, his mind racing past every moment he could remember about Raven. He thought about the day they had met. He watched the scene play through his mind, being knocked from a cliff and suddenly surrounded by black energy that caused him to float over and touch down safely on a ledge next to a small young girl wrapped in a dark blue cape, a hood hiding her face. He thanked her and introduced himself and she pulled back her cape, revealing her face. Her perfect little face, with an uncomfortable look on her features, light lavender eyes revealing worry and fear of rejection, dark violet strands of hair blowing gently across her face. He had asked her to be a Titan that day.

He thought of various moments they had shared as team members. He thought about how she had been the only one to really accept and understand him after he had adorned the Red X uniform. He recalled her trying to warn him of her weary feelings about Terra when they had first met her, before she redeemed herself by saving the city. He remembered helping save her from herself when she let her emotions go out of control by trying to hide them too much. He remembered learning of her healing energy when he broke his arm. He remembered being haunted in his mind by Slade, and how Raven had journeyed into his mind and thoughts in efforts of saving him from himself. He felt his jealousy boil from when the magician in the book betrayed her trust.

His mind drifted over her facial features, her reactions to things, how she would smile secretly when she thought no one was watching. He thought of the few times he had talked with her, and he began to become depressed. Why hadn't he bothered to get to know her better? He knew she jealously guarded her privacy, but why did he let that stop him from getting closer to her before he ran out of time and she left the tower for Gotham?

He thought of her since she returned. He remembered her first night back, his emotions in turmoil as he watched the matured Goddess sitting in front of him. She had changed quite a bit, but she was still Raven. She was still dark and slightly cynical, but she was now caring, compassionate, and loving. She was humbled and tender. He had wanted so badly to touch her, to kiss her. When he had first hugged her, he didn't want to let her go. He remembered that first night in her room, her head on his shoulder, how wonderful her hair smelled, how tiny and delicate her waist was when he placed his arm around it. He realized that it was the first night in three years he had gotten a good night's sleep, and it was only because she had promised she would be there in the morning.

'_That sounds like jealousy to me Dick.' _

'_Uh huh, sure, how long are you going to keep telling yourself that?'_

'_Baby crows from a robin's nest? Sounds like your sweet on Raven if you ask me Rob.'_

Victor's words ran through his mind.

"Sweet on her?" he said aloud into the wind.

He looked down to the ground and saw Raven and Garth sitting along the shore of the Titan's island talking. Raven was leaning up against him, his arm around her back holding her close to him. Dick wiped the single tear that ran down his left cheek at the sight of it.

He had never felt so empty. He had never known such loneliness.

It was there in the moonlight, watching a man with his arm around the only girl he could bring himself to think about that he was finally able to admit his emotions to himself.

"I love her."


	14. Tempers and Thread

**Chapter Thirteen: Tempers and Thread**

The next morning was fairly quiet. The girls had left the tower before dawn to have a girl's day at the mall and Victor had gone into town with Garfield for some car parts.

Dick woke up early and decided to relieve some tension in the sparring room. He went in and began punching away at a large punching bag. Wally came in shortly after.

"Hey Dick, how hangs it?" he attempted to be cheerful, but the bitter disdain dripped off every word.

Dick stopped and turned to look at the flame haired man.

"Not bad, what are you up to?" He asked his friend.

"Not much, wonder if you care if I work out for a bit, stay loose?" He asked.

"No problem, go right ahead. Our equipment is free for you to use." He replied before going back to punching on his bag. Wally came over and jumped onto the treadmill right next to the bag Dick was punching at.

They exercised in silence for a short bit before Wally chose to speak again.

"Sucks about Rae huh? I mean, the whole her getting together with Garth thing."

"Id rather not talk about it actually." Dick replied sharply.

"Oh come on Dick, we're friends and all. We all know you have feelings for her, it puts us in the same boat." Wally pushed.

"No actually, it doesn't. You have feelings for Morrigana, a girl who doesn't exist. The girl I feel for is real." Dick said snidely. The comment hit a nerve in Wally. He got off the treadmill and walked over to stand next to Dick.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked gruffly.

"It means," Dick began as he turned to face Wally; "that you're wasting your time in Jump City."

The comment did more than Dick had intended, without a moments rational hesitation, Wally had swung a punch that landed squarely on Dick's jaw.

The red haired boy backed up, shocked at what he had just done. Dick was his friend, he had known him since they were children and yet he had punched him without a second thought. Anger took over the man. He felt he was entitled to Raven, not Dick.

Dick stood gaping at his friend. His mind was struggling to determine what had just happened, but his instincts were on alert, ready for any further punches.

"It's not like you have a chance anyway Boy Wonder. You ignored her and drove her away, right into my arms. I had her once; it won't take much to have her again." Wally said smugly, all rational thought leaving his body.

The time, it was Dick who was throwing the punch. The two boys got into a fist fight, which turned into a sparring match that was all a little too real. After about thirty minutes of beating each other to a pulp, they stopped to catch their breath, making a truce as they sat on opposite ends of the room. It was Dick who spoke first.

"This is stupid, why are we fighting like this? I mean, we both have just as much of a chance with her, and we have probably both hurt her in some way that is blowing that chance right away from us." He said sadly.

"No, neither of us have a chance now. Fucking Garth decided to jump into the picture." Wally replied gruffly.

Dick nodded in agreement. They boys stood up and shook hands as they began to walk to the door of the sparring room. Before they could reach it, the door flew open, leaving a smiling Atlantian standing in the doorway. Adrenaline was still pumping through the boy's veins. Wally walked right up to Aqualad and punched him square in the jaw. Without hesitation, Garth punched him back.

The two boys continued their brawl, very quickly dragging Dick into it as well. They fighting continued for twenty minutes before a green boy and a metal man walked by the open door to the sparring room and decided to intervene.

"That's enough!" Victor's voice roared, echoing off the walls of the sparring room as he pulled Wally and Garth apart. Garfield had come in and subdued Dick.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" Victor inquired.

"Whatever" Garth replied in a rather annoyed tone as he stomped out of the room and made his way to the elevator to go outside.

Wally took it upon himself to stare at the floor until Victor's eyes were on Dick, when he used the opportunity to sneak his way out of the room and up to his bedroom to clean up. Dick shrugged his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.

"I guess emotions got the better of us." He said simply.

Victor frowned and shook his head. He didn't try to stop the Boy Wonder when he wandered off to his bedroom.

Many hours passed and the girls returned home. Garfield informed them of the drama they had missed. Tara and Kori were shocked and nearly excited over it. They both saw it as something exciting for Raven. To have three men fighting over you, it was every woman's dream! Every woman but Raven apparently, Raven was instead appalled at the thought of it. She marched to her bedroom and dialed Jennifer's phone number to tell her the tale of the sparring room battle.

Jennifer was shocked when she heard about it. Wally was not the type to get into a fight, much less start one.

Their phone call was a short one. Raven took a moment to clear her head and went to sit on her window seat. She sat there, watching the sunset thinking about the three hormonal men in the tower. She didn't bother to analyze why they were fighting, she didn't really care. She couldn't get it out of her mind how immature they were being just because they didn't like each other. Garth didn't like Wally for hurting Raven, Wally didn't like Garth because he was seemingly with Raven, and Richard didn't like either of them right now because they were hurting his friends. She paused for a moment and thought of how difficult it must've been for the Boy Wonder to have to choose between her and Wally, two of his friends.

She stood up and walked aimlessly around her room, her eyes dancing over the various objects held there. They stopped on her sewing machine. She had already made her new costumes, but had yet to reveal them to anyone. She let her eyes dance on the extra fabric that had been leftover. Not quite enough to make another costume, but enough to play with. She had already used some of it to make a larger version of her old cape that was long enough to fit her newly elongated body. The remaining scraps weren't much, but they filled her mind with a twisted idea.

The boys were ideally fighting over her, so if they wanted her to be the center of their attention so much, she would give them a reason to pay attention to her. Jennifer had always told her that sex appeal sells, and she decided to use her womanly wiles to her advantage.

She pulled out a pencil and her sketchbook and quickly sketched a female figure. She then dressed the figure in a skimpy halter top and a pair of slashed low riding pants with boots and an arm band. It reminded her of an outfit she had seen in the window of a lingerie shop.

She quickly began cutting the material she would need. She shaped the halter top into the shape of a raven that would just barely cover her breasts, she immediately hemmed the edges before the fabric could fray and then she sewed thin straps onto it that would crisscross on her back to hold the top to her body.

For the pants she decided to cut a large piece out of the hip, which would expose the tender skin that lay there. The pants covered her legs well, but her pelvic area they left very little to the imagination. She sewed on two red orbs, like the ones she had used on her old capes. One to the front, and a second to the back, these orbs did the most of the covering in the pelvic area. The one in the back rested just at the top of her butt, allowing what little material flowed out from underneath it to cover some of the curves of her buttocks. The orb in the front covered a much more tender area, not letting anything be exposed, but covering about as much a one of her low riding thongs.

Once the outfit was completed, she slipped off all of her clothing and tried it on. It fit perfectly. A smug smile slipped across her face as she quickly undressed.

She walked over to her bed and slipped her naked body between the covers, quickly allowing sleep to come.

The following morning, there was no time for awkwardness, during the breakfast battle the sirens sounded, altering the team to trouble in the city.

"Titans Go!" the Boy Wonder could be heard saying and the team assembled and headed to town. Aqualad and Kid Flash close on their tails.

The team arrived downtown to see Cinderblock crashing through a local bank. The team made their appearance and began their battles. They were quickly seen to be no match for the monstrous rock creature.

The Titans were thrown against buildings, pummeled with brick and rock. Cinderblock lifted a large armored car into the air and sent it flying for Aqualad and Beast Boy. The boys raised their hands above their heads, certain they would be crushed by the large vehicle, but the armored car never touched down.

The boys looked up to see the armored car surrounded in a lavender energy, floating just above their heads. The car was tossed aside, leaving a young woman in a dark blue cape floating in the air above them.

"Raven!" Beast Boy exclaimed excited to see her.

Beast Boy's call brought Cinderblocks attention to the young empath. He let out a monstrous laugh and began charging at the girl. She floated back to the side to avoid his charge, not seeing him raise his arm and backhand her, flinging her through the air where she landed to the ground just behind Beast Boy and Aqualad.

The boys stood up and charged back into battle. Robin came over to see if the dark girl was alright.

"Raven! Are you ok?" he yelled as he rushed to her side.

Raven stood up, her eyes glowing a bright fuchsia.

"I'm fine." She said as she raised her arms out from underneath her cape. He reached up and unclasped the cape, letting it fall to the ground where she stood. As soon as the cape touched the ground, purple energy began to swirl around her, her body began to slowly rise into the air. Once she was level with Cinderblocks chest, she pushed her arms forward, the energy that has been swirling around her pushing itself into her body and out through her hands. The energy rushed through the air, piercing Cinderblock in the chest, knocking the massive titan down and unconscious.

Raven's body touched down on solid ground again as her teammates gathered close around her. The boys all dropped their jaws at her outfit, Terra's eyebrows shot up in surprised shock.

"Friend Raven! What a lovely outfit! You must make one as pretty for me, yes?" Starfire said excitedly as she approached Raven.

Raven blinked twice and her eyes returned to normal. She laughed gently and replied in a soft girlish voice.

"Sure Star, buy the material and help me design it." She smiled at her friend.

Cyborg stepped forward and picked up the cape that Raven had discarded. He walked over to her and placed it on her shoulders. As he did so, he whispered into her ear, 'I don't know what your trying to prove, but don't stoop to their level Rae.'

He walked away from the group and got in the T-Car, waiting for the others to follow suite. Raven watched him as he went. He was right, and she knew it, but the costume was a good idea at the time, or so she thought.

The team all returned to the tower, and changed into normal clothing again. Raven pulled black jeans and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt over her delicate form before joining her teammates in the living room.

Everyone was fairly quite about things. Garth sat glaring at Raven. The costume felt like a betrayal to him, and he was uncertain how to approach it. Wally chose to join Gar on the Gamestation, as to prevent himself from thinking of the costume. It wasn't like Rae or Ana to have worn something like that for little to no reason. He just didn't want to think about it.

Dick was lost in thought. As a leader, the costume was unacceptable and distracting. As a man in love, the costume was tempting and welcome.

Raven walked into the common area and went to stand at her usual spot at the window, looking out into the bay.

"Raven," Tara began. Raven turned to face her friend. "Your powers used to be black, but today they were purple. What caused that to happen?"

It was a very good question that her other friends had all seemingly overlooked. Raven smiled gently and cleared her throat.

"Remember when I told you about my battle with my father?" she looked at the group and saw everyone nod. "Well, I mentioned that my powers remained intact. Those are my powers. While I was on Azaroth, I learned that some of the power I possessed was my own. It was created at the time of my conception. Pure energy from my mother traveled into me throughout the pregnancy, preventing some of his power from becoming tainted. Their union was one of deception, and a pure heart could fight that. The power strengthened throughout my lifetime as I fought my internal battle against my father. The more I fought him, the less he was able to taint. That power is the pure untainted power that remained, it was that power that enabled me to destroy him." She explained.

Dick thought for a moment before speaking up; "But the first night you were back, your powers were black." He mentioned as everyone's eyes traveled to him in confusion.

Raven laughed, "Yes, I still will have black powers from time to time. My father may have been destroyed, but his blood still partially runs through my veins, so he cannot be completely shut out. Fear, hatred, anger, and spite often use some of the tainted powers that remain. The moment you mention was a defensive measure, fear more than likely played a small part in it." She said simply.

The group nodded understanding and accepting her story. They sat around talking for some time, Raven continuing to look out the window at the bay, lost in thought.

After a short bit, Dick excused himself to his bedroom and wandered off down the hall to the elevator. Raven noticed him turn to the elevator instead of his bedroom. She let about fifteen minutes pass before excusing herself to her room as well. She walked past her bedroom to the stairs. She floated up the staircase to the top and touched down at the door that led to the roof. She peered out the small window in the door to see the Boy Wonder standing at the ledge, watching the city, just as she expected him to be.

She walked out the door and strolled slowly to the ledge to stand next to him. He had heard her approach and chose not to look back at her, keeping his gaze where it was been.

They stood in an awkward silence for many moments before Raven finally spoke.

"I'm sorry Robin." Her girlish voice carried through the air.

"About what?" he asked innocently.

"The costume, I'm not certain what came over me. Hopefully it wont change your decision to have me on the team." She signed deeply, lowering her head.

"As a leader, I have to admit the costume is fairly unacceptable. But as your friend I can only wonder what would make you choose something as revealing as that. I only hope it has nothing to do with my actions from yesterday, although I feel fairly confident that it does." He replied.

She allowed herself to look over at him. He seemed worn, worried, and confused, a man of mystery with too much conflict to comprehend.

"I'm not certain if I am ready to fight with the team yet, I suppose I have some more self discovery to do. I will, however, have a new costume for the occasion; something that will hopefully match the approvals of my leader and teammates. I am sorry that any of you had to see that side of me." She said, turning to walk back to the door.

"And Richard," she stopped and called over her shoulder. He turned to look in her direction. "I may have not taken the time to understand what took place yesterday, but I do forgive you for any part you played. I can only hope that it will depart from your mind soon. You shouldn't need to stress over something so soon after my return. I don't want to start being a burden to you." She began walking to the door soon as her words were said.

Richard watched as she walked through the door and began down the stairs. Somehow, he felt eased about the subject. It amazed him how much such simple words as "I forgive you" could turn his world around.

Raven reached her bedroom door only to spot Garth leaning up against it. She stopped to look at him, an annoyed look in her eyes.

"So the rooftop is your bedroom now? That's interesting." He said bitterly.

"What concern is it of yours if I make certain that my leader forgives my earlier actions?" she replied.

He stood up and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, holding on to them a little tighter than necessary.

"You shouldn't be alone with him, or any man for that matter. You're dating me, not any of them. It's not right for you to be alone with them." He said gruffly.

Raven pushed him away from her. "I'm not dating you either, remember Garth. It was a con and nothing more. I'm done with that though, you can take your lies and leave. I will not be deceiving my friends any longer." She demanded as she shoved past him and went into her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Garth slammed his fist on her bedroom door before turning around to notice Victor standing at the end of the hallway. He stood straight and glared at the metal man.

"I think its time you returned to the sea Garth." Victor said coldly.

The two boys stared one another down for five minutes, before Garth caved to the pressure, shook his head and went upstairs to gather his things.

No one but Victor saw him as he walked into the elevator and out of the tower, returning back to the sea.


	15. Karaoke and Goodbyes

**Chapter Fourteen: Karaoke and Goodbyes**

Much of the team awoke early that morning. Everyone assembled into the kitchen, not including Raven who chose not to hear her alarm.

Victor had everyone sit down and as he made pancakes and watched as Kori made soy parfaits, he told the team that Raven and Garth had broken up the night before and he had left the tower. Everyone seemed surprised at the news. Victor knew the truth about the situation, but decided it would be Raven who told that truth to her friends.

Garfield began thinking of ways to cheer up Raven since she would more than likely be depressed over things. He came up with an idea quickly and decided he would suggest it as soon as he saw her that day.

The team moved on to their daily tasks after breakfast. Garfield, Tara and Kori went shopping with plans of bringing flowers back to brighten up the tower in efforts to keep Raven cheerful. Dick and Wally decided to play a few rounds of one-on-one basketball to mend some of the awkwardness between them. Victor made his way back to the garage to continue his maintenance on the T-Car.

Raven emerged from her bedroom to find the main floor of the tower abandoned. She walked into the common area and looked out the window at the bay. She noticed Dick and Wally on the basketball court, but didn't stay long to watch their game. She used her powers to feel for emotions throughout the building, finding no life other than Cyborg in the garage.

She walked to the elevator and went inside, riding it down the floors to the bottom level where the metal man was. She floated out of the elevator and sulked over to a chair near the T-Car which she sat herself on without making a sound.

"Hey Rae." Victor's voice came up from underneath the car. He always seemed to know when she showed up, and she had never figured out how.

"Hey." She replied nervously. "Car needed repairs again?" she asked.

"Nope, just routine stuff, it's just all that time consuming stuff I love doing." He replied with a laugh.

She nodded and sat silently for a few minutes. Vic climbed up from underneath the car and wiped him hands on a rag. He cleared his throat before he spoke again.

"Garth left the tower last night, I don't expect to see him back." He paused to allow her to speak. When she remained silent, he continued. "It was all a lie right, I mean, you and him? He asked her gently.

She nodded and then lowered her head, causing her hair to fall, and further hiding her face.

"What kind of agreement was it?" he asked curiously.

"It was supposed to be a fake relationship, something to help persuade Wally into leaving sooner." She said meekly.

"It was your idea, or his?" Victor had a brotherly tone to his voice.

"His." She replied simply.

"So, he proposed a fake relationship only to end up with real feelings for you?" he asked, hoping for clarification.

Raven nodded.

He sighed deeply and moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame, pulling her into his chest.

"I'm sorry Rae." He whispered in her ear.

They sat in comfortable silence for a time. She fought back tears and he held her tighter.

"So now what Rae?" he finally spoke.

"I'm not sure really, I will obviously have to tell the others about the situation, but I haven't decided when or how." She replied sadly. Victor nodded.

Victor took pity on her and changed the subject to Tara and Gar's wedding plans for a short bit. Finally she decided she was going to back upstairs.

"See you later. I love you Rae." Victor called back as she walked to the elevator. She faced him and smiled before letting the elevator doors close in front of her.

'At least he forgives me' she sighed to herself as she rode upstairs. She walked to the kitchen to make a quick cup of tea to take with her to her bedroom.

Garfield had seen her walk out of the elevator and walked into the kitchen to make her a cup of tea.

"Hey Raven!" he said excitedly when she entered the kitchen. She smiled gently and began to walk to the cabinet for a tea cup. "Here ya go" he walked up behind her and held out a mug with her favorite honey green tea steeping inside it. She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Thank you Garfield." She said softly, taking a sip of the tea.

"Hey, I have a great idea! I already told everyone, and we are going to go so long as you want to go with us, but how about we all go out tonight?" he asked her.

She looked at the changeling, he looked so hopeful, she couldn't turn him down.

"Sure Garfield, what did you have in mind?" she asked gingerly.

"I was thinking we could all go to this Karaoke bar they just opened downtown." He said cheerfully.

She laughed gently.

"It's pronounced 'Kara-OK' not 'Kari-oki' Garfield." She giggled as he blushed. "But sure, that sounds like fun. What time did you plan on us leaving?"

"I figured we could leave at five o'clock so that we could have dinner at the Italian restaurant next door to it beforehand. They have really good eggplant dishes. Tara and I eat there all the time." He replied.

"Alright, it's a date then. Ill meet all of you in the common area at five." She smiled and walked out of the kitchen to her bedroom. He smiled as he watched her leave. He was happy that she was at least smiling.

Five o'clock came around and everyone started gathering together in the common area. Gar and Tara were the first to arrive. Gar was wearing navy slacks with black dress shoes and a pale blue short sleeve button up shirt that was buttoned all the way to his collarbone. Tara wore a short honey colored skirt with an orange silk tank top and yellow dress sandals. Kori was the next one to show up; she was wearing pale Posey colored slipper shoes and a frilly pink slip dress. Victor showed up shortly after wearing black slacks with dress boots and a dark gray silk shirt with short sleeves and he had buttoned all but the top two buttons. He was using his deception ring that allowed him to look like a normal human. He had been using the ring often since Raven had returned, in efforts of helping to keep the secret identities of his teammates a secret while they were around town, so no one was surprised to see him without his metal showing through.

Wally came into the room next. He was wearing dark black jeans with a long sleeve burgundy shirt that was buttoned up to all but the top four buttons, exposing the top of his chest. Richard was next, wearing black slacks, black dress shoes and a long sleeved dodger blue button up shirt that was left unbuttoned with the tails tucked into the front of his slacks. He wore a thin black muscle shirt exposed under the dodger blue shirt. He had skipped the hair gel and his jet black hair that was usually slicked back into a ponytail was left to flow free on his shoulders.

The team sat around talking with one another until Raven appeared in the room. Richard's jaw dropped when he saw the beautiful angel in front of him. She was wearing a black flappers dress with grey accents and a gypsy hemline that created a pointed diamond effect at the bottom. The dress showed off the smooth skin of her shoulders, only two thin black straps that held the otherwise strapless dress on her body rested there. She wore ballet style half inch high heels on her feet. Her hair was pulled into a partial ponytail and curled to leave stunning long waves down the length of her hair. Wally sighed and shot a loving smile in her direction when he saw her. The rest of the team smiled and greeted her, random compliments about her dress coming from them. Garfield quickly began to herd the group into the elevator so that they could begin to make their way to the restaurant.

Cyborg and Kori got into the front seats of the T-Car, Wally riding in the backseat. Tara and Gar climbed into the backseat of Raven's Avalon, Richard choosing to ride up front with her. They reached the restaurant and everyone walked to the doors where the hostess met them and confirmed Garfield's reservation before seating them in a large round booth in the back of the restaurant. Wally sat on the edge with Garfield to his right, followed by Tara, Richard, Raven, Victor, and finally Kori on the other end of the horseshoe shaped seat. The friends ordered their meals and had wonderful talks throughout the meal. The food was terrific and the atmosphere was so comfortable for the team. Raven had a smile on her face the whole time, even if she did choose not to speak too much. Wally glanced at her continuously throughout the meal, a sad love in his eyes. Richard tried to ignore Wally so that he wouldn't feel like a bad friend for wanting Raven all to himself.

Finally, the meal was finished, their check was paid and the group walked over to the lounge. They flipped through a book in the lobby and everyone chose the songs they wished to perform that night. The host there took their names and added them to the play list, letting them know they would be called when it was their turn to sing. The group found a large table in the middle right in front of the stage and took their seats. A waitress came to take their drink orders and quickly returned with refreshments for everyone. Twenty minutes passed before the karaoke began. Many various residents of Jump City were there and took their turns on stage to sing. Finally, the first song from the team was to be sung. Garfield and Tara got up on stage and sung "I've got you babe". The team laughed as they watched, everyone having a great time. The couple sang the song fairly well.

As the night continued Kori got up and sang "Call me", the boys got on stage and sang a hysterical rendition of "YMCA". Victor sang "Hooked on a feeling" and Gar sang "Daydream Believer". Finally it was Wally's turn on stage. He chose to sing "Always on my mind"

'_Maybe I didn't treat you  
Quite as good as I should have  
Maybe I didn't love you  
Quite as often as I could have  
Little things I should have said and done  
I just never took the time_

You were always on my mind  
You were always on my mind'

Kori and Tara sat talking about his voice. It was actually quite good. Raven took it upon herself to suddenly be incredibly thirsty and she drank through her martini and flagged down the waitress to bring her another so she could ignore the words Wally was singing. She secretly wished the song would end from the moment she heard the music and recognized it. She knew why it was chosen, and she didn't want to have to deal with such depressing matters on such a wonderful night.

Once Wally was done singing, Tara and Kori sang "The beat goes on" and then the team had a short break while others sang. Raven avoided eye contact with Wally while the team sat chatting.

Richard was called up to the stage soon after. He had chosen to sing "Can't help falling in love with you". Garfield's jaw dropped, Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise and the three girls all sat in their seats with surprised and dreamy looks on their faces as they heard Richard's voice sing the words. He had a perfect voice for the song, and he sang it quite well.

Finally, it was Raven's turn. She rose from her chair and walked calmly to the stage to stand in front of the microphone.

"This is gonna be good!" Garfield said, settling into his chair so he would have the perfect view.

"You have no idea what you're in for Gar." Wally said from behind him. Gar and Tara turned to face him; Wally didn't take his eyes off Raven as he watched her make her way to the stage.

"Can she sing?" Tara asked him.

"Like an angel" Wally replied.

Everyone turned to the stage. The pianist began to play the tune. Raven took a deep breath, and began to sing.

'_I never believed that there was a rainbow  
With a pot of gold at the end  
I'm much too smart for fairy tales like that  
Yet here I am again  
I thought this time, this time we're gonna make it  
Why I thought so I really don't know  
Maybe something in his eyes just told me so  
Something in his eyes..._

Tell me lies  
And I'll come runnin'  
I must have lost my mind!  
I could close me eyes  
And tell you just exactly what's comin'  
Life's gonna turn just a little unkind'  


Raven's sultry voice flowed past her lips with grace and ease. Garfield sat there in near shock; he would not have believed that Raven could sing like she did. Richard sat in his seat, staring at the Goddess on the stage, she never stopped surprising him.

'_Seems like everyone's sailin'  
Way out on the sea  
And I'm stuck here on the shore  
Sun's always shinin'  
But it's never on me  
Why should I try anymore?_

Tell me lies  
Tell me lies  
And I'll just keep right on comin'  
This time I've got to believe in the dream  
This time I've got to believe in his dream'

Raven finished her song and took a small bow at the applause she received before walking back to take her seat.

"Oh friend Raven! That was wonderful! You have such a perfect voice!" Kori said excitedly once her friend was seated.

"Beautiful, as always, Rae." Wally added.

The rest of the team gave their praise as well. The night continued, Gar sang "Return to sender" and "You can't hurry love" and Kori got up to sing "Crazy" before the night was over.

Raven was the last act of the night. She once again walked onto the stage to sing, and once again she didn't disappoint. She had chosen another song that she had sung in the nightclub in Gotham as part of her set. She liked the songs, and she was very comfortable singing them. She got more into her final number of the night. Always a good stage presence, she took the microphone off its stand and walked the stage like a true performer for her song.

'_Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care  
When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear  
You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight  
Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night._

Sun lights up the daytime, moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name, and you know I'm gonna treat you right  
You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight  
Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night.  
Everybody's got the fever, that is something you all know  
Fever isn't such a new thing, fever started long ago.

Romeo loved Juliet, Juliet she felt the same  
When he put his arms around her, he said "Julie baby you're my flame"  
Thou givest fever, when we kisseth, fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever - I'm afire, fever yea I burn forsooth.

Captain Smith and Pocahontas had a very mad affair  
When her Daddy tried to kill him, she said "Daddy-O don't you dare"  
He gives me fever - with his kisses, fever when he holds me tight  
Fever - I'm his Missus, Oh daddy won't you treat him right.

Now you've listened to my story, here's the point I have made:  
Chicks were born to give you fever, be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade  
They give you fever - when you kiss them, fever if you live and learn  
Fever - till you sizzle, oh what a lovely way to burn.  
What a lovely way to burn.  
What a lovely way to burn.'

The team left the nightclub so that it could close for the evening. It was late and they all decided it was a good time to go to bed. They all arrived back at the tower and settled into the common area for a few moments. Wally soon excused himself to bed. The team sat around talking of the evening. Only the Boy Wonder noticed as Raven walked out of the living area soon after Wally had left. He wanted to go after her, but he knew it was probably best to allow her to do whatever it was she had her mind set on doing.

Wally was sitting on the roof, letting the wind rustle through his hair, looking out at the stars when Raven walked through the door from the stairwell. He knew it would be her. He looked down and smiled, waiting for her to come to his side.

"Wally, you can't keep this up. Why are you still here?" she asked him.

"I wont be for much longer." He said sadly, much to her surprise.

"I don't understand." She said.

"The other day, when Dick and I were in that quarrel with Garth in the sparring room." He paused to look at her to make certain she knew what he was speaking of. "Well, Dick said something to me that I haven't been able to get out of my head. At first, I hoped that he was wrong, but the more I've thought of it, I think its something I can't escape."

"What did he say?" She asked him quietly.

"He told me that I was here to get Morrigana back, a girl that wasn't even real and that I couldn't try to love Rae when it was Morrigana I loved." He stopped and sighed deeply. "He was right. I did come here with the intention of getting you back. I just didn't seem to see how truly different Morrigana and Raven were until recently."

"I can understand that. Although we were the same people, you knew Morrigana, a lie, a charade. Raven is real, but you don't even know her. How could you love her?" she said thoughtfully.

They stood in comfortable silence for many minutes.

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly.

"For what?" she asked him.

"Hurting you." he lowered his face. "I never wanted to hurt you, as Morrigana or Raven. I hope you can forgive me."

"Wally, Morrigana loved you. Raven couldn't love someone that far away. Had I stayed with you, the Titans might not have ever seen me again. We both would've been miserable, me for keeping such a big secret from you, and you by always wondering how honest I was being. I really think that what happened was for the best."

He nodded in agreement, as much as he didn't want to admit, she was right.

"Just because it hurts right now, doesn't mean it will always hurt. And who knows, perhaps in time we can form a friendship again." He said hopefully.

"Id like that Wally." She said with a smile.

The pair hugged one another before walking back toward the stairwell.

"I guess I should go say my goodbyes then." She nodded in agreement as she watched him descend the stairs. She felt sad to see him leave, but she was also elated that the drama would finally be ending.

After he was packed and had said his goodbyes to Kori, Vic, Tara and Gar; Wally stopped by Richard's room. He knocked gently, and stepped inside when the Boy Wonder opened the door for him.

"Well, I'm out man." He said.

"What?" Richard questioned.

"I'm heading back to Gotham, got a ticket for a midnight flight." Wally replied.

"Oh, sad to see you go man. Sorry about all that stuff from earlier. Hope you can forgive me, I guess I just lost my head." Dick said.

"Don't worry about it; you had every right to things. You have been after Raven much longer than you probably even realize. I'm just sorry I was such a bad friend while I was here. I ignored all your feelings in efforts of feeding my own desires. I'm really sorry Dick." Wally said.

The two boys shook hands and gave each other a hug. They had been friends for too long to not forgive one another for things. Their friendship was going to be fine.

Wally left that night on a midnight flight for Gotham. He had made certain to encourage Dick to make his feelings known to Raven soon before he boarded the plane.


	16. The Wedding Planner

**Chapter Fifteen: The Wedding Planner**

The following day was calm and quiet. Everyone was sad that Wally had left, but at the same time, everyone was relieved as well. It was finally just the six of them. There had hardly been a day that the team was able to enjoy her company without the need to entertain another visitor again, so having her to themselves was a nice change.

It was a cloudy day. The wind was blowing softly through the trees, the sun was hiding itself away and the whole town seemed to have a mellow feeling to it. Victor spent a good portion of the day out of the tower with Kori. Gar and Tara were in the common area watching movies. Richard was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and Raven was on the rooftop revisiting an old book.

The hours past and the day turned into evening that was quickly wishing to turn into night. The group had a simple dinner at the tower before all grouping together in the common area. Victor and Gar fought for victory in a racing game while Richard watched, Kori was drawing quietly on a sketchpad. When Raven rose from her seat on the couch to get some tea, Tara took the opportunity to ask a delicate question she had been harboring for the few days beforehand.

"Hey Rae?" She asked gently, uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes?" Raven turned to face her.

"Well... you see... Gar and I picked a date, for the wedding I mean and I was wondering... well hoping... that perhaps you would consider being my maid of honor." She spoke quickly.

Raven's eyes widened in surprise; "I would be honored Tara." She replied with a gentle smile.

Tara's facial features gave way to a large toothy grin. She was thrilled that Raven had agreed. They spent a few moments in the kitchen talking together. They decided that the next day they would begin working on the wedding plans. It was, after all, a maid of honor's duty to help plan the wedding.

The next morning the girls left the tower bright and early to begin the planning. Raven and Tara had stayed up late the night before so that Raven could get ideas on what Tara wanted her wedding to be like, and then took it upon herself to sketch out a lot of the visual aspects of the wedding and make lists of important things for them to remember as they planned the wedding.

It was decided that Tara and Gar would have a relatively simple wedding. They wanted something planet friendly that would be very in tune with nature while still being elegant.

The girls visited all the bridal shops in Jump City and its two neighboring towns, set up appointments with four caterers, and two florists. They looked at dozens of flowers, yards upon yards of ribbon and lace, tried on at least thirty dresses, looked at six stores full of party favors and idea books, and spent a few hours looking through bridal magazines in the library.

Before the sun had a chance to set they were exhausted and overwhelmed. They retreated back to the tower for some food and rest, knowing full well that they would need to begin their planning again the next day.

The planning had to be done quickly. Planning anything as a superhero isn't easy, but the two had decided to speed up their engagement.

Tara told the girls of a dream she and Garfield had both mysteriously had. They had it the same night, with nothing to provoke it. The dream was quite morbid, ending abruptly with their deaths before they could be wed. It sparked a very uneasy conversation the next day about their relationship. They had come to realize that if they didn't wed quickly, they could miss out on a life together. The crime rate in town was down, and villainy was at a minimum, but that wouldn't stay that way forever. Each battle they walked into they knew could be their last.

It was this conversation that brought them to the conclusion that they wished to wed sooner than originally anticipated. They chose to wed within the month, choosing the last day of that very month to become one. Unfortunately, it only left the girls with three weeks to plan a wedding, no easy task.

As the days past, the plans were coming together, due mostly in part to Raven's quick thinking and the design skills she acquired working at the fashion boutique in Gotham.

Tara decided she wanted to be married on the beach, on the very hill where Gar had proposed. An outdoor wedding made things slightly easier on the girls. It took away the need to book a venue. They only needed to pull a few strings with the mayor to close down a section of the beach for their wedding ceremony. The reception was to be held in the tower.

Kori bought some lovely marker paints and stock paper from an art store and chose to hand design each invitation. The task was easy enough for her since the guest list was limited to very close friends and family. The only guests that the couple really wanted were the Titans of both towers, and the primary members of the Justice League.

It was decided that in place of a cake they would have soy based cheesecakes at the reception, which required a specialty shop. Tara chose to have a simple bouquet of daffodils and wanted to have daffodils and lilies for her decoration.

After all the planning and running around that they had done, the largest problem they were having was choosing a dress. Tara had so many mixed ideas on her gown. She wanted something airy and inspired by spring for her outdoor wedding, but she also wanted something traditional that was elegant and dramatic.

Raven searched through specialty dress shops in the area online for hours before hitting what she hoped would be the jackpot. She called and set up an appointment for them to try on gowns that she hoped would please Tara.

A mere eleven days before the wedding the girls woke up early, before the boys had even risen from their slumber to have their daily breakfast argument. They sleepily piled into Raven's Avalon and drove an hour and a half to a dress store in a larger city. They drove through the streets of the city. It reminded Raven of a sunnier Gotham. All of the buildings rose to the sky, the streets were littered with hobos and newspapers. There were pedestrians on every corner hailing taxi cabs and dashing across the streets without looking, without any regard to what other people were doing, certain that the cars would stop for them under all circumstances.

The girls drove slowly down Broadway Street and took the second left they came to. Raven parked against the curb and they got out of the car. Raven put coins into the parking meter while Kori and Tara stared blankly at the store's sign.

"Medieval Treasures?" Kori asked aloud.

"This is a bridal store Rae?" Tara asked unimpressed.

"You'll see, I think you'll like it here." Raven replied confidently.

They went inside the store and were greeted by a young woman with wavy red hair and a slight Irish accent. She introduced herself as 'Willow'. She led the girls through the store to the dressing rooms in the back. Tara and Kori glanced around the store as they walked to the back. The shelves were lined with books on Celtic beliefs, statues of faeries, dragons, and unicorns. There were wind chimes with Celtic symbols hanging from them, peasant style shirts hung from a rack with a sign above them that read a price of $23.95.

Willow led the girls into the dressing area and then wandered off to retrieve a dress rack that held twenty three dresses that she had hand chosen for the occasion. The dressing area was rather large considering the general size of the store. There were six rooms for the actual dressing to be done. The main area consisted of a large stage and two smaller ones. The entire area was surrounded by mirrors with extravagant dragon detailing at the tops and bottoms of them. The doors to the dressing areas had mirrors on them as well. The only part of the circular room that didn't have mirrors to it was the navy blue curtain that separated the area from the remainder of the store.

Willow inquired who the bride was, and then asked Tara to stand so she could take her measurements. She then measured Kori and Raven to maker certain she had grabbed the correct dress sizes.

"Should we begin with the bride or the bridesmaids?" She inquired.

"I think she should work with the bride first. Its easier to choose bridesmaids gowns based off the main dress then it is to choose the bridal gown last." Raven replied.

Willow went over to her rack and chose the first of the gowns and asked Tara to try it on. Tara took the gown into the dressing room and put it on. She came out wearing a dress that was heavy in lace and silk décor. It was gypsy inspired and was a little more extravagant that Tara wanted.

The next three dresses weren't impressive to Tara either. She secretly was cursing Raven under her breath for bringing her out so far from home to try on the ugly gowns this woman had chosen. Raven stood and walked to look at the other dresses on the rack as Tara was trying on another gypsy inspired gown. Raven thumbed through the dresses on the rack until she came to one that was hidden between two rather large gowns. It was the second to last of the choices.

"Try this one Tara" She said, handing it to a rather annoyed blonde that was struggling with the large folds of the gown she was wearing as she tried to get out of the dressing room. Tara took the gown and went back in. Minutes past before she emerged with the new gown.

She walked out and looked into the mirrors that surrounded her, a look of surprise, amazement and delight on her face. She had found her gown.

"Its… perfect". Tara announced as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"What flowers did you choose?" Willow inquired.

"Daffodils and lilies" Kori offered.

"You would look wonderful with your hair lightly curled and a garland of lilies in your hair." She said.

The dress was a Greece inspired white-ivory medieval gown. It fell off Tara's shoulders and hugged her breast and stomach tightly. It draped loosely on her hips and fell to the floor. The dress itself was sleeveless but had cloth that rested above the breast and covered the shoulders to keep the gown in place.

The gown was beautiful and fit Tara wonderfully.

"I have similar gowns in a few colors that don't fall to the floor; they stop just past the knee if you would like to try those for your bridesmaid's gowns." Willow announced.

"That would be lovely, thank you" Raven replied.

Willow brought the dresses for Kori and Raven to try. They fit them the same way, but were tinted in color. They chose a pale shade of yellow with white detail for their gowns. All the girls then elected to have white Grecian style sandals to wear with them.

They spent a few more hours looking at the various items in the store. They chose some poet inspired shirts that the boys would wear. They chose a pale yellow for Gar and white for Richard and Victor. They set up the arrangements to have the dresses altered as needed and then delivered later that week.

As the girls left the store and piled back into the Avalon for the journey home, Tara couldn't help but feel badly. After she had settled herself into the front next to Raven and they were on their way back home she finally spoke.

"Raven, I'm sorry." She said apologetically.

"For what?" Raven inquired.

"Doubting you. That was the perfect store after all. Thank you." She replied.

"You're welcome Tara."


	17. I Do

**Chapter Sixteen: I Do**

"Raven?"

Richard knocked on Raven's bedroom door. It was fairly late at night; the rest of the tower was already asleep. Raven's bedroom light could be seen through the tiniest crack under the door. He knew she was still awake, most likely working her way through last minute details. It took a few moments, but she opened the door.

"Richard? You're still awake?" She said in a slightly breathy voice as she turned back towards her desk, waving him to come inside as she walked.

Richard followed her inside, letting the door shut behind him as he entered. He looked around her room. There were papers, fabric samples, partial flower bouquets and magazines scattered on just about every surface. She appeared to be working with a song list that was to be given to the DJ at the reception. He knew she had talked Victor into calling one of his old school friends for the job.

Raven gathered up a few papers and placed them inside of a folder before letting out a relived sigh and turning to face him.

"So what brings you for a visit so late?" She inquired.

"Well, the wedding is tomorrow, and well… with me being the best man and you the maid of honor, I thought… well I thought that you might consider being my date for the wedding." He asked nervously.

"Sure" she replied with a gentle smile.

"Great! So, Ill see you in the morning then?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's going to be a long wonderful day." She rose and walked with him to her bedroom door as she stifled a yawn. "Good night Richard."

"Good night Raven." He stepped outside the door and let it close behind him.

He couldn't hide his smile as he strolled to his bedroom door, typed in his door code and went inside. It may not have been much, but it was an excuse to spend time with her. He would be allowed to dance with her, hold her hand, and just generally be near her the whole day without giving off any impressions.

He had spent a lot of time thinking about how things would be handled. He did want to tell her his feelings, but he couldn't really decide how to handle it. He didn't want to just ask her out and hope she would say yes. He wanted her to become fond of him. He wanted things to just fall into place. He wanted to have a moment where they would be so close that he would be capable of asking her to be his girlfriend and they would have a closeness that would make it silly for her to reject him. His mother had told him when he was young that with her and his father, things just happened. Things just fell into place. Love wasn't something that you had to work hard to attain. True love would find you and just happen. When it did you needed to work to keep that relationship great, because you would never find another like it. He wanted something like what his parents had. He wanted a true love, a soul mate. He wanted something that would be forever and he wanted to make certain that Raven would see him the same way he saw her.

Sleep came easy for the Boy Wonder. His thoughts were filled with the happy visions of what could happen the following day, and it gave him very pleasant dreams to enjoy.

Finally the day of the wedding had arrived. Everything was set up and ready. The wedding was to take place at two o'clock and the reception would be at the tower as soon as the wedding was over. The decorations for the wedding itself were simple and easy to disassemble. The decor in the tower was another story.

Raven and Kori woke up early, and with Victor's help, they had the party room decorated by noon. The room was decorated in ribbons of white and yellow with daffodils and lilies hung from the ceiling, in centerpieces on the tables, and in vases on shelves. They had set up four tables for the catering to be arranged on. The caterers would arrive at one o'clock to set up the food before the group was to head over to the beach.

Tara and Garfield spent the morning in separate rooms as they prepared their nerves and minds for the wedding. As the caterers set up the food under Victor's supervision, Kori and Raven helped Tara get into her dress and get her hair fixed.

Richard was busy making certain that Gar got ready without being nervous.

"Not going to get cold feet are you?" Richard asked as Gar fumbled with running a comb through his hair.

"Me? Never! I'm really looking forward to this. I was nervous yesterday, but now… I feel really good about this." He replied cheerfully.

"You're a lucky guy. A love like you two have isn't easy to find." Richard replied thoughtfully.

"Ha... yeah. It isn't easy being green, girls normally reject me." Garfield said with a laugh. "Speaking of love though; have you admitted yours to yourself yet?" Gar asked with an inquiring raised eyebrow.

"Heh, yeah... I finally did. Everyone knew before me didn't they?" Richard asked with an embarrassed smile.

"Victor figured it out first. I suspected... but it was Vic that fueled my belief. Tara always hoped you'd find someone to settle down with that would help ease you up a bit... but she never thought it would be Raven until I mentioned something about it to her. I'm honestly not sure if Kori knows or suspects any of it though." Gar said as he pulled socks over his bare feet.

"It took me so long to figure out." Richard said more to himself than anything.

"Naw, you just wanted to be a good leader. I guess good leaders don't usually fall in love with their teammates. That and Raven never was one that was easy to get close to. So you wouldn't have realized things with her because of that I think. Have you told her yet?" Gar asked.

"Not yet. I'm still planning out how I want to tell her. I did, however, manage to get her to be my official date for the wedding." He replied with a smile.

Garfield met his friend's eyes with a smile before spinning around and posing.

"How do I look?" He asked with a wide grin.

The arrangements at the beach had been constructed and everyone gathered at the chosen spot. A small archway had been erected and decorated with daisies and daffodils. Richard, Kori, Victor and Raven took their respective places on the sides of the archway. Alfred stood in the center of them, bible in hand. The guests stood in two small groups, leaving a small pathway leading to the archway. The guests included Wally, Mas y Menos, Speedy, Bumblebee, Garth, Jennifer, Bruce Wayne, Donna Troy, and Superman.

Garfield came up to stand by Richard and await his bride. His calm demeanor was slipping and he was becoming obviously more nervous. Richard gently punched him in the shoulder and shot him a large smile when we looked back at him. He returned the smile and appeared to ease up slightly. He looked down between the guests and saw Tara get out of Raven's Avalon.

Tara walked slowly between the guests with a calm smile on her face. She approached the wedding party and took her place next to Gar. They smiled at one another, looking deep into one another's eyes before turning to face Alfred when he began the ceremony.

The ceremony proceeded swiftly. Gar and Tara shot each other blush-filled glances as Alfred spoke of undying love and a perfect union. Kori smiled largely as tears of pure joy ran down her cheeks. Victor resisted the urge to call Kori over to attempt at consoling her so she wouldn't cry. Raven watched the couple become one with sorrow and longing in her eyes and nothing but pure joy on her face. Richard kept his eyes on Raven throughout the ceremony. He was blinded by unbridled joy and was unable to see the sad love in her eyes, and instead spent the time daydreaming about the reception and the time he hoped to spend with her that evening.

"I now pronounce you Man and Wife. You may kiss your bride." Alfred pronounced.

Garfield swallowed hard and nervously before leaning in and kissing Tara deeply. A blush crept across his cheeks when all the guests began cheering for them. The couple made their way between their guests, who threw flower petals over them as they walked by. Garfield held the door to the backseat of Raven's Avalon open and closed it once Tara was safely inside before going round the car and getting in beside her. Raven and Richard walked side by side to the car and got into the front seat and started the drive back to Titan's Tower. They had rented a limousine for their guests, which Victor and Kori drove to take them to the tower as well.

Once back at the tower, the festivities really began. Victor's DJ friend played loads of music; Tara threw her bouquet into the crowd of ladies, which Kori caught. Gar then threw Tara's garter belt at the crowd of men, which Mas and Menos fought over before it was flung at Speedy who then chose to wear it as a bracelet for the rest of the night.

The atmosphere was fantastic, the music was wonderful, and the food was tolerable. Slow songs began playing and many coupled up to dance, while others stood around talking. Donna dragged Bruce to the dance floor and they spent a good portion of the night dancing and smiling with one another all while hoping no one would notice how much they were enjoying each others company. Garth stole Raven away for a short bit and earned her acceptance of his apology. Wally talked her into dancing with him soon afterward while Richard and Speedy caught up with one another.

Time past by like a dream. Speedy introduced himself and spent the remainder of the night dancing with Jennifer. Everyone took turns dancing with the newlyweds and wishing them luck. Things were perfect. Richard had been waiting to find a time to dance with Raven, and the opportunity hadn't offered itself. He hadn't been spending as time with her as he had hoped to. He looked around the room, having lost track of her yet again and found her standing near the window looking out to the bay.

He walked up and stood beside her. She glanced in his direction to see that it was him and smiled. He looked out to the bay with her and reached out for her hand. They stood there together and watched the sunset in harmonious silence. The sea swallowed up the sun, casting deep burgundy and burnt oranges across the sky before melting into a deep cloudy blue. Another slow song began to play behind them.

"You know I'm going to make you dance to this with me right?" Richard said to her as he continued to gaze at the horizon.

"I assumed as much" she replied simply before looking at him with a soft smile.

He led her to the dance floor and placed his left hand around her waist and held her hand in his right as they began their dance. He made her feel overcome with nerves when his eyes insisted upon gazing into hers. He couldn't help it of course. A gentle smile remained on his face and his eyes would look no where else but at her. He had hoped to dance with her more throughout the night and it hadn't happened. Now that he finally had her in his arms he couldn't hide his excitement. Raven however didn't want to feel like the center of attention to anyone, and instead elected to lay her head on his shoulder so he would be forced to stop looking at her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and danced closer to her. He blushed when his eye caught sight of Victor, who had a rather large knowing smile across his face from where he danced with Kori on the other side of the room.

The song ended and other songs began. Richard looked at his watch and took note of the time and followed after Raven who had wandered off for a glass of punch.

"Come on, I have something to show you." Richard said as he came up behind her and took hold of her hand.

"Where are we going?" she said with a light giggle, following him solely out of morbid curiosity.

He led her out of the room and to the elevator, only Wally noticed them depart. He smiled softly to himself before wandering over to ask Bumblebee for a dance.

The pair rode the elevator up to the top level and Richard led her down the hall to the rooftop. They climbed the stairs and stepped out into the chilly night air. He reached off to the side and pulled a blanket out of a plastic tub that was sitting on the roof. She looked at the tub curiously before accepting the blanket that he draped around her shoulders. He led her over to one of the risings where he lifted her up onto it, before climbing up to sit next to her.

"So what on the rooftop required my attention?" she asked him curiously.

"Wait for it. You'll see." He replied with a smug smile on his face. He knew she hated surprises.

He sat silently, looking around the bay and the night sky. She sat there in more of an awkward silence watching him and looking to the areas he had himself fixated on. She watched him as he looked at his watch and then back to the horizon. She looked up at his face, taking more notice of his features. His strong jaw, his matured face, the softness his skin held in the moonlight. His eyes looked fresher and more relaxed; they had lost much of the worn look she had seen in them the night she returned. His hair had been lengthening and now sat a few inches below his shoulders. It shone a glossy black under the night sky.

"I have something on my face?" he inquired without looking away from the sky.

"Just taking note of your features." She replied.

"So you can dream of them tonight?" he asked with an egotistical smile and a light chuckle.

"More like so I won't confuse you for another when I kill you for keeping me in suspense." She replied with a laugh. "What are we up here for anyway?"

"That." He said as he pointed off into the sky.

Her eyes looked off into the sky where he pointed and beheld a shooting star. She watched it as it danced through the sky and fell down past the horizon. She looked back up where it had come from and saw another and yet another.

"Oh..." she gasped as she watched the lovely lights dance in the sky.

"A meteor shower." He finished her sentence for her.

She leaned herself into his arms and together they watched the stars dance through the sky before falling below the horizon. Time seemed to stand still as the stars took flight through the sky.

"Richard?" her voice rang out softly in the night.

"Yes Raven?" he asked her.

"Thank you." She said to him, slinking further into his arms.

"Your welcome Raven." He replied with a smile, wrapping his arms more around her.

The shower continued for hours. The two birds laid together on the rooftop watching the shower in the sky before falling asleep in each others arms just shy of daybreak.

**Author's Note::**

It's probably horribly obvious, but this fic is on an official hiatus. I haven't done a proper update for it in about 3 years and I have since lost the motivation and direction I had planned for it. I've been more in the mood to write lately, so I will be looking at this and working with it's outline. I would like to shorten it down from the original broadcast-ed 50-something chapters to a more reasonable number. Something under 30 chapters maybe. So hopefully you will see more of it soon and it won't be too large of a change. My writing style has changed since I began this story. I'll try to fit into the groove of things, but when it seems like someone else finished it, don't be surprised. When I finally do start updating it again, be warned that I will be posting updates in blocks. I want to write most of it before posting it. I might actually complete it and then add in chapters slowly till it is all online.


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